Photo: Montgomery County Sheriff's Office/WSET
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — The search is on for a student at Virginia Tech who was last seen on Friday.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is spearheading the search for 20-year-old student Johnny Roop.
According to officials, Roop was last seen at his apartment complex on Canyon Ridge Road in the Merrimac area of Montgomery County. That was on February 16.
Roop's phone pinged near the New River Valley Mall at 4:26 late on Friday, officials said. He was traveling to his parents' home to take an online exam at 5 p.m. in Abingdon but never showed up, the sheriff's office said.
Roop was last seen driving a 2018 Toyota Camry with a Virginia plate reading TXW-6643 with a VT sticker on the back window.
In an update on Tuesday, deputies said the preliminary investigation leads them to believe that he left the area of Montgomery County on his own.
Deputies said that based upon information received it is believed that he most likely traveled toward SW Virginia or Tennessee.
Investigators have also been able to access video surveillance footage from local businesses/ financial institutions and Roop was observed in the Christiansburg area of Montgomery County until around 3:30 p.m., on Friday.
Deputies said they have received no information leading them to believe that he is in immediate danger. Deputies also said that Roop appears to be acting outside of his normal behavior so they would like to make contact with him to confirm he is ok.
More on this developing story from our media partner, ABC 13 - WSET.