Editorial note: Early Saturday afternoon, the Lubbock Police Department provided an update, saying the mother and child were found safe. Click here to see an updated story.
LUBBOCK, Texas – A family from Guam shared new details after asking the public’s help for information that can help locate Catherine Little, 28, and her 3-year-old daughter, Lillian Rose. The two were last seen just after 12:00 p.m. Christmas Day at the Lubbock Preston Smith Airport.
Gwen Harrod, Catherine’s mother, told EverythingLubbock.com that she last saw the two around 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve.
“My husband was checking on the kids before he went to bed and saw both Catherine and Lilly asleep. That was around 1:00 in the morning,” Gwen said.
By the time everyone woke up on Christmas morning, the pair were gone.
“We looked everywhere. We made phone calls, reached out to other family members, called the police, but came up with nothing. I was terrified,” Gwen said.
Their search eventually led them to the airport, where Customs and Border Patrol confirmed to Gwen that Catherine and Lilly were on a flight to Lubbock, Texas.
Gwen said that Catherine has no connection to Lubbock but worries she may have been manipulated by a mystery man only known to Gwen as “Mike.”
“[Catherine] has some medical conditions that make her susceptible to people convincing her to do things that aren’t always in her best interests,” Gwen said. “Because of these conditions, Catherine has the mentality of someone who is 12 to 14 years old.”
Both Gwen and her husband are retired military veterans, and have been living in Guam since 2018, after a job opportunity presented itself. Catherine and Lillian moved in with them over three years ago due to complications with Catherine’s health.
Gwen worries that this mysterious “Mike” may have helped purchase the plane tickets, as she doesn’t believe Catherine would have been able to pay for them on her own.
“I hardly know anything about Mike,” Gwen said. “Whoever he is, he’s been in contact with [Catherine] for at least four months. He may have been grooming her, I just don’t know. Whenever I would ask about him, she would tell me to respect her privacy.”
Gwen told EverythingLubbock.com that she has been in contact with multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Guam Police Department and the Lubbock Police Department.
EverythingLubbock.com reached out to LPD for an update on the case.
“While we are looking into this, there is no indication a crime has occurred,” LPD said.
EverythingLubbock.com reached out to the Guam Police Department for comment, but they were unavailable.
Gwen described Catherine as a white woman who is about 5 foot, 7 inches tall, weighing in at around 160 pounds with blue eyes and “short brownish hair.”
Gwen described Lillian as a white girl who is about 3 feet tall, 28 pounds with blonde curly hair and “greyish blue eyes.”
“I’ve been calling anyone and everyone willing to listen,” Gwen said. “Any and all help, we really and truly appreciate it. I just want to know my granddaughter and daughter are safe. If they don’t want to talk to us, that’s fine. We just want to know they’re okay.”
If anyone recognizes them, or knows where they are, police said to call the LPD front desk at (806) 775-2817.
