Teen Girl Reported Missing After Failing to Return From Outing

VENTURA — Authorities are searching for a 17-year-old Ventura girl who has been missing for more than a week.

Nichole Lee Hendrix went out with friends in Ventura on Oct. 15, said Det. Sgt. Rick Alaniz. She called home late in the evening and asked her mother to leave the front door unlocked because she would be back soon. Hendrix never arrived, Alaniz said.

Hendrix’s parents called police to report their daughter missing on Oct. 20. It’s not clear why the parents waited so long to notify police, Alaniz said. The teenager has been known to leave home, but during past disappearances she called her parents to let them know she was OK, he said.

“She hasn’t done that this time,” Alaniz said. “That’s why we are worried.”

Hendrix was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts and carrying a black purse. She has blond hair, blue eyes, is 4 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to call Alaniz or Det. Raul Munoz at (805) 654-2824, 654-2355, or, after 5 p.m., 654-2311.