12yo Florida girl vanishes. Then she DMs her mom, ‘I don’t want to go back to the grown man’s house’

According to social media, Aria Groves has been missing from the Arlington area of Jacksonville, Florida, since late October.

Those social media posts, including one from TikTok true-crime creator Matt Thibodeau, have brought national attention to the case. However, local authorities have not issued an Amber Alert. According to social media, Groves’ family was told the criteria had not been met.

Even so, Groves’ mother said her 12-year-old daughter had run away with a girlfriend named “Mary.” After she disappeared, her mother discovered that the girl had been communicating online with several adult men.

“I don’t want to go back to the grown man’s house”

The most alarming messages, reportedly sent by Groves through Facebook Messenger, show the 12-year-old pleading with her mother for money and an Uber ride, saying she was frightened and wanted to escape from the home of an adult man where she had been staying.

Groves wrote her mom, “Listen, I am in danger. I really need to Uber to you or Lex. If I order it, it will show my location even if my phone dies. Please help me. I don’t want to go back to the grown man’s house in — he creeps me out. Please.” Those were the last messages she received before her daughter’s phone went dark.

According to Thibodeau, Groves’ mom wrote on social media, “Before you think I’m a terrible parent, ask … how life is with me. I’m not running for mother of the year anytime soon, but I’m not awful.”

Thibodeau added, “It doesn’t seem, at least from these messages, that she was ever sent money or an Uber.” Thibodeau speculates that Groves may have a history of running off and then asking her mom for money. “And I think that it’s possible that maybe her mom didn’t think that this was a real or serious situation and that this was just her daughter trying to get money out of her, which is why she didn’t send it,” he said.

Adding to the urgency, family members say the girl is always online and in frequent contact, which has intensified the concern over her disappearance.

What happened to Aria Groves?

Volunteers in Jacksonville’s Arlington neighborhood have circulated flyers, canvassed businesses for surveillance footage, and asked residents to check their doorbell cameras or other video that might show Groves’ movements. Several small local sites and community posts have amplified the appeal for tips and visibility.

Because mainstream local outlets appear to have published nothing about Groves’ disappearance, much of what is currently known comes from family posts and social media sharing. That means some details remain unconfirmed: identities, timelines, and official investigative status have not been independently verified in public records or by a police statement available online.

If you live in or near Arlington, Jacksonville, or have information about Aria Groves, contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at the number circulating in community posts (904-630-0500) and reference the local case number 25-18468.