HATTIESBURG — A Mississippi sheriff’s department says a missing teen may be with her boyfriend in Louisiana, but deputies are unsure if she’s being held against her will.

The Hattiesburg American reported Wednesday that Greene County Sheriff’s deputies believe 16-year-old Veronica Platt is with 20-year-old Tyler Wood.

Chief Deputy Brad Warwick says Platt and Wood met online, where he apparently lied about his age.

Sheriff’s Office Investigator Tommy Henderson says the couple briefly stopped at Wood’s mother’s house on Dec. 26 before leaving. They haven’t been seen since. Warwick says about $2,500 was taken from Wood’s mother’s home.

Wood is a former Forrest County election commissioner who resigned about a year into his term for personal reasons. A phone number connected to him has been tracked to the Mississippi-Louisiana border.