UPDATE: On Oct. 23, 2020, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department reported that Aberkalns had been found and returned to his family.
A Parker teenager has been missing for almost two weeks, and police, family and friends are seeking public help in finding him.
James Aberkalns, 16, has been missing since Sept. 19, according to his mother, Dawn. The search for him is active, she said. Aberkalns is 5-foot-9, 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark gray hoodie, blue jeans with a black hat, navy blue sneakers, a backpack and glasses. Aberkalns was last seen near Chaparral High School, 15655 Brookstone Drive.
Aberkalns is a Ponderosa High School student. His family believes he ran away and is mentally unstable. Aberkalns’ phone has been off for six days, his mother said. Aberkalns tried to get to Iowa to visit his girlfriend, his mother said.
Aberkalns bought a Greyhound bus ticket from Denver to Kansas City, Missouri, his family says, and they believe he was trying to get to Iowa. His girlfriend in Iowa said he never made it to Iowa and that they broke up. His family is not sure if he ever got on the bus in Denver. Aberkalns’ friends have given contradicting accounts of Aberkalns’ whereabouts or intentions, some maintaining he went to Iowa and others say he wanted to go to California.
Aberkalns’ has a hair-growth condition and wears a hat all the time, his mother said. His hat was found near the Aberklans’ house near Chaparral.
Anyone with information on Aberkalns’ whereabouts is asked to contact Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or call 911.