Amber Alert issued for Goldsboro teen

Kennedy Fitzgerald McLaurin, 16, is black, stands about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes, pierced ears and a tattoo of the initial K on his left hand.

Police said McLaurin, a junior at Goldsboro High School who also goes by the nickname "Little Ken," was last seen around 1 p.m. Sunday.

His mother, Kimberly Best, said she reported him missing Monday after becoming concerned when he didn't come home Sunday night. After hearing rumors that he had been abducted, she called police.

"I haven't been able to sleep. I've been up looking, riding around," Best said. "I really hope he's OK, but it's scary, and not knowing is what's terrifying me."

Investigators said McLaurin was kidnapped from the 700 block of Bain Street in the Woodcrest Housing Community and forced into a blue, older-model Buick or Lincoln by three or four black males.

Police did not release any further information. A spokeswoman for the city of Goldsboro said the Amber Alert wasn't issued until Wednesday, partly because police had to verify the rumors.

Anyone with information about McLaurin's disappearance should call 911, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol at *HP or the Goldsboro Police Department at 919-580-4243 or 919-705-6572 or Crime Stoppers at 919-735-2255.