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Shawn Hornbeck Foundation

Hornbeck Foundation issues Shawn Alert for missing Clayton teen

(KMOV) - A missing teenager is back home because of Shawn Hornbeck's parents.

They flew to California to get Emily Graeber, 15. 

Earlier in the week the Hornbeck foundation issued a "Shawn Alert" for Emily.

Her family last saw her more than two weeks ago, as she boarded a plane at Lambert Airport.

She was supposed to get off the plane and stay in Utah.

Instead she stayed on, and over the next two weeks was spotted in the San Francisco area.

News 4 sat down and talked with Pam and Craig Akers about how the internet and media helped find Emily.

Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday the Akers got a phone call from a California teenager who tipped them off.

Emily's parents had gone public asking for help finding their daughter and were also caring for Emily's grandmother who was gravely ill.

Hours after the phone call the Akers were on their way west to track down to find Emily.

Emily had been staying with the family of a teenager she had met after she had arrived in California.

Craig Akers says the tipster was another teenager who knew something wasn't right, and Emily was going by a different name.

The tipster went to Google, typed in words like "Utah" and "Missing,” and came upon the Hornbeck Foundation website.

The Akers returned to St. Louis and reunited Emily with her family.

There have now been 14 "Shawn Alerts" in four years, and this is the first one that's been successful.