Ariel Beck The parents of a ninth-grader at Grace Brethren High School are searching for their daughter who went missing early in the morning of Nov. 18.

It appears that Ariel Beck, 14, left her parents’ home in Simi Valley voluntarily between 1 and 3 a.m. But based on tips and information from friends, the Hicks family believes she may have been pressured to leave by a 23-year-old female friend.

“The scariest thing is that she has completely vanished,” said Ray Hicks, Ariel’s stepfather. “Someone has influenced her to leave the home. Something’s not right here. She would have contacted somebody by now—her dearest girlfriend—to say, ‘Don’t tell my parents where I am, but tell them I’m okay.’”

Ariel is 5’10”, 140 pounds with long, blond hair that can be curly or straightened. Her eyes are hazel green, and she has a jagged, teardrop-shaped birthmark on her left leg, midcalf, that’s about 3 ½ inches by 1 inch in size.

Hicks said a friend told them that Ariel said she was leaving with an adult, possibly to Sacramento.

“We have no family or friends in that area,” her father said. “There’s no reason she would go there on her own. She’s with an adult, and we don’t know who it is or if this person’s nefarious. We don’t know what interest they have in her.”

The Hicks family has hired a private investigator, and the Simi Valley Police Department is investigating the case.

“Her parents have certainly portrayed her as not the typical runaway,” said SVPD Officer Mark Rendhl. “Without me knowing who she is of course, all I can really say is that she’s in the system as a runaway and it’s under investigation.”

Ariel had been grounded by her parents, and likely packed a black sports bag with some clothes, but SVPD Youth Officer Glenn Ellis said she could still be in town.

“We can’t prove or disprove any of that yet,” said of the possible trip to Sacramento. “I personally believe she’s probably local—it didn’t look like she was preparing for a long leave. We’re still trying all avenues.”

Ariel is Ray and Joann Hicks’ only child.

“We’re amazed at the outpouring of help from the community,” Ray Hicks said. “We’re hopeful that, with the team we have assembled, she’ll be home soon.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the SVPD tip line at (805) 583-6984.