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Katie Hong, 16, pictured in this undated photo.

FREMONT, Calif. – The parents of a missing Fremont teen are hoping to hire a private investigator as they continue their desperate search for their daughter.

She may have met up with online associates

What we know:

Katie Hong, 16, was last seen around 6:20 p.m. on July 25 at her home on Queens Park Court, near Rix Park, according to the Fremont Police Department. Surveillance video later captured her walking through a gas station at the corner of Blacow Road and Grimmer Boulevard, heading toward Irvington Community Park.

Her parents, who are both deaf, are seeking donations to help cover the cost of a private investigator, and legal and communication support.

Police said Katie left behind a note for her family, indicating she may have run away to meet people she had connected with online. Investigators said the note indicated she only knew these associates by their online screen names, and that they would not share their real names.

Teen’s parents just want her home

What they’re saying:

Her parents said Katie may believe she disappointed them, but that’s not true.

“She feels that she has disappointed us. Though we don’t agree. We are not disappointed with her. Yes, she made a mistake. But everyone does,” said her father, Sulghi Hong.

Katie’s father, who is deaf, has been taking time off from his job at California School for the Deaf in Fremont, where faculty and students have also been searching for Katie, who is hearing.

Katie’s phone has not been found.

“She could be with somebody still, she could be by herself, she could be at a shelter,” her uncle, James Han told KTVU on Monday. “We don’t know who, we don’t know what, we don’t know where or what their motive is.”

Han added, “We just need to hear from her. All we want to do is to hear from her so that we know she’s safe.”

Police said an investigation into the people Katie interacted with over the internet has not yielded information on where she is or who she is with.

Katie is 5 feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and braces. She was last seen wearing a navy blue zip-up jacket and gray sweatpants, and was carrying a red Patagonia backpack that may have contained a desktop computer.

The family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover potential expenses in the ongoing search for Katie.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Fremont Police Department at 510-790-6800.