Grandmother's plea to missing teen

Zariah Wade was last seen in late April.

The grandmother of a missing 14-year-old girl has only one message for her granddaughter: "We love you. Come home."

Zariah Wade, of Mangere, has not been seen since late April when she suddenly stopped all contact with her family and did not return home.

Her grandmother, Toha Wade, said the past six weeks had been difficult not knowing where her granddaughter, who lives with her, was.

Police yesterday urged anyone with information about Zariah's whereabouts to come forward.

Mrs Wade told the Herald this morning that following that appeal, she had received a phone call last night.

"[It was] from a private number saying that she was somewhere up at Otahuhu. She's in Otahuhu somewhere, [they said]. She's been hanging around Otahuhu for about a week or something."

Mrs Wade said the last time she had spoken with Zariah was April 29.

"The last time I heard from her was the day she left. She was to call me at 4 o'clock. She rang me at 10 past 3 and I told her: 'It's not 4 o'clock'. So she was to ring back.

"I told her that I wanted her to come home and that she should start heading home now. She said okay and that she won't be long.

"I said to her to leave her phone on so I could keep in touch with her and she turned it off as soon as she hung up."

Asked why she thought her granddaughter may have left and who she might be with at the moment, Mrs Wade said: "Don't know. Boys? That's possible - the boy part. But definitely the friends.

"She'll probably hang out around WiFi areas, hot spots."

The Year 10 student started at Southern Cross Campus, in Mangere East, this year. She attended Tamaki College, in Glen Innes, last year.

She is described as tall for her age and could pass as being older.

She is quiet and shy and is a good student, her grandmother said.

Mrs Wade said she understood a police detective was now looking after the case and that whoever was housing her granddaughter would be held accountable as well.