Authorities identify person of interest in search for missing Wayne County teen

Ashanti Dyzare Harper, 15, was last seen Sunday morning after she left her aunt's home in Goldsboro around 2 a.m. by crawling through a bedroom window, authorities said. She was wearing a pink coat and dark pants when her younger cousins saw her last.

According to investigators, she had been staying with her aunt through the summer and had been there for about three weeks when she fled from the house with some of her belongings. Authorities said the family believes the teen girl had been in communication with a tall, unidentified man who told the girl he was 17 years old via conversation on Instagram.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office on Thursday released photos of the man, who is considered a person of interest in the case.

Authorities said they believe the man may be from New Jersey.

Anyone with information about this missing teen was asked to call the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office at 919-731-1480.