Was aspiring criminologist’s daughter kidnapped, or did she run away?

As a single mom with two teen daughters, Mariela Souza finally can pursue the CSI career she’s always wanted. Yet Souza, 39, also claims she has a mystery on her hands: Her 15-year-old daughter, Jazlynn Morrell, has been missing for a week, authorities confirmed today. Souza suspects foul play, but suspicion is that the girl ran away on her own.

Police and family members are searching for Jazlynn, whom Souza said has attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders. Souza seems to believe something’s not right about the disappearance. Could be her current training that leads her in that direction.

“I am 39 years old, I have two daughters ages 19 and [15]. I have been single for a couple of years,” Souza wrote on Facebook. “I am still in college. I attend Kaplan University…I want to become a CSI I have also been interested in this field and now I have the chance to pursue it because my children are older now and it makes it easier to attain my goals.”

Souza reported Jacklynn missing Aug. 25.

Jazlynn Morrell

She said she discovered her daughter’s bedroom empy, the door propped shut from the inside, at 4:30 a.m.

The police report lists Jazlynn Morell as 5-foot-7 and about  180 pounds, with brown eyes, dark brown and a medium-to-dark complexion.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Cliffside Park Police Department at 201-945-3600.

Souza theorized that her daughter may have met someone online who helped her flee.

“She’s in a place where she can’t get to me,” Souza told the Bergen Record. “I know it. It’s a feeling.”

Privately, a source with knowledge of the case told CLIFFVIEWPILOT.COM that current signs point to a runaway. Other outcomes are possible, however, although the source didn’t elaborate.

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

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