"Somebody knows something. They have to. Nobody just disappears," said Sarah's mother, Laurie Townsend.
Sarah's car was discovered running, with the door open and her cell phone and purse still inside, at Burlington Township's Green Acres Park. Police say she called her boyfriend, Matt Welsh, to meet her there but was gone when he arrived.
Authorities on Thursday said what we reported earlier this week - that a note in the car raised concerns about Sarah's intentions.
"There's an indication... that she might want to harm herself," said Burlington Township Police Director Walt Corter.
Sarah's mother says that make no sense.
"She's going to the Florence and the Allentown prom. She's talking about how she was going to wear her hair, what shoes she was going to wear," said Laurie Townsend, who added those aren't the actions of a teen thinking about hurting herself.
"If you're out there Sarah, if you can see this, hear this honey, we love you. Come home," said her father, Roy.
Sarah's father is upset about Facebook postings accusing Sarah's boyfriend of having some involvement in her disappearance.
"There's no time for him to do what they think he did," Roy Townsend said.
Police say, so far, Matt Welsh's story checks out.
After days of intensive searching in the area where Sarah's car was found, investigators continue following dozens of tips, including a report that, hours after she disappeared, Sarah was seen at the Payhalf store in the Burlington Center Mall.
"One of my cashiers thought that she had rung her up in the morning and we went through our camera system and found out it wasn't her," said store manager Cindy Maloney.
Sarah Townsend's cousins are blanketing South Jersey malls with fliers featuring pictures of the missing girl and the $10,000 reward for her safe return.
"I want everyone in the area to know what her face looks like, that is the most important thing. Know what she looks like that way, if you spot her, you can call 911," said cousin Tyler Bellinger.
Townsend, who is about 5'4 and weighs about 105 pounds, was last seen by her parents when she left for school at 7:00 a.m. Monday.
Anyone with information about Sarah Townsend is asked to contact Burlington Township Police at 609-386-2019.
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