STUTTGART, Germany — A cell phone used to text-message the mother of a missing 15-year-old girl was traced to the Czech Republic, according to local authorities.

The message read, “I’m OK, don’t worry,” the girl’s father said.

Kristina Karr, who just finished the ninth grade at Patch American High School, apparently ran away in the early morning hours following a July 4 festival at Patch Barracks.

Her parents, who are scheduled to move to the U.S. later this month, at first thought Kristina might have traveled to the Czech Republic to be with her former boyfriend, whose family recently transferred there.

But Kristina’s father, Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Karr, said the ex-boyfriend insists he has not heard from the girl.

“She could be a victim and not in control,” Joseph Karr said. “You could speculate 101 things. We have enough fears every time we lie down to sleep what could go wrong.”

He said that he felt helpless not knowing if his daughter was OK.

“Honey, please come home, we love you,” said Karr, who is assigned to the intelligence directorate of the U.S. European Command.

He said there was no way to be sure if it was his daughter who wrote the text message.