The parents of a missing child received ransom demands via a private messaging app as police searched the area, prompting investigators to upgrade the case to an abduction.

The family of Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo has received ransom requests through social media, prompting police to treat the case as an abduction, according to new information from the Virginia Beach Police Department.

Police have issued an Amber Alert for Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo, a missing 12-year-old boy who officials say was abducted on Friday from Virginia Beach. Newsweek contacted the Virginia Beach City Police Department for comment on Saturday via email outside regular office hours.