TOMS RIVER, NJ — Twenty-four hours after the attorney for the family of a missing Toms River girl issued an ultimatum warning those hiding her to turn her in, Ashley Combs remains missing.

On Tuesday, the fourth day since the 17-year-old Toms River High School North student failed to come home from school, the family's attorney revealed more information about her disappearance and the unusual step taken Monday to issue the ultimatum. "I realize that this was an unorthodox approach," said Jef Henninger, the attorney hired by Rob Nieratko and his wife to assist in their efforts to find Ashley. "But it was necessary to either get her home quickly or to stop some people's thinking that she is just a runaway and that this is no big deal."

Ashley was reported missing Friday evening by the Nieratkos, and Rob Nieratko posted a message seeking help locating her that night. Toms River police have been investigating and have said her disappearance did not appear to be under suspicious circumstances. Police believe she left home purposely, and said Ashley has refused to give her location to people she has spoken with.

"While it is true that the evidence we have leads us to believe that she was not abducted from school, we have no evidence to believe that she had planned to be away from home for an extended period of time," Henninger wrote. "She did not have a change of clothes or much money."

"We also don't believe that she's living on the street somewhere," Henniger said. Read more: Missing Toms River Girl's Family: Send Her Home Or We Prosecute Rob Nieratko, in a post Tuesday morning, added, "At the end of the day, Ashley is missing. If this were your child, you would be doing everything within your power to have her safely brought home. You don't have to agree with my tactics in achieving this goal, but I believe that I am doing everything the right way."

"Whoever is helping her is toxic to her and does not have her best interests in mind," Nieratko wrote.

Henniger, who was hired by the family in part to help deal with the media response and to also help them navigate the legal system once Ashley is found, questioned whether Ashley is safe.



"Someone has her and that person knows that what they are doing is illegal and they don't care," he wrote Tuesday. "They are willing to sacrifice their job, their family and their own freedom by keeping Ashley away from her parents, family members, friends, school and a normal teenage life." "To those that think she just ran away, ask yourself this: what type of person would risk everything to help a child runaway knowing that everyone is looking for her? Do you think that this person is mentally sound? Do you honestly think she is not in danger?" he wrote.

