Help Needed to Find Missing, Endangered Teen

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help to find a 14-year-old girl that disappeared today from the River View Apartments off 56^th Street.

According to a sheriff’s office media release, Afrika Hewitt, 14, was last seen this morning when she walked away from her aunt’s home at the Bonita Vista Way apartment complex.

Hewitt is described as a black female who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall. She weighs about 98 pounds and has black, shoulder-length hair with blond highlights. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white-and-gray striped shirt and white high top shoes. She was carrying a red bag with polka dots and an image of the cartoon character Betty Boop on it. Hewitt was also carrying a Coach purse.

Hewitt suffers from a condition that requires medicine to treat, the release said. It is unclear if she had her medicine with her.

Anyone with information about Hewitt’s whereabouts is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.