Runaway Identical Twins Missing in Malibu

Aug. 14, 2008— -- A Malibu family is pleading for the public's help in their search for mentally impaired, identical twin teens who apparently ran away from home Sunday.

"My identical twin daughters are missing," Kay Corrodi said in an interview with ABCNews.com. "They have pretty limited knowledge. They are big, tall, pretty, pretty girls who are quite naive."

Mary and Morgan Corrodi are 16-year-old students at Malibu High School who live on California's Pacific Coast Highway. Each has the mental capacity of a 12-year-old, according to their adopted mother, and are in specialized courses at school. The teenagers are among Kay and Jack Corrodi's 16 adopted children, ranging in age from 8 to 35.

The twins were last seen Sunday afternoon by a neighbor who reported seeing the girls climb into a car driven by an unidentified woman, and with a second female passenger, according to police and the girls' family. The twins, described by their mother as inseparable, have not checked in with family members since then. No notable items were missing from the family's home.

Sgt. Todd Webber, a spokesman for the Malibu station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, described the case as a "runaway" investigation and said that there was no evidence of foul play or critical information that would lead authorities to declare an Amber Alert for the twins.

Jack and Kay Corrodi, who reported their daughters missing Sunday, told police that the teens had run away in the past. "On three different occasions, they went out without permission and they never came back on their own," Kay Corrodi said.

Corrodi also said that the teens have lied about their age in the past and built profiles on the social networking Web site MySpace that suggest they are involved in riskier, more mature behavior than they actually are.

Morgan describes herself on her profile page, which features images of the popular rapper Lil' Wayne, as "sweet," "kind" and "outgoing," but also writes that she likes to "drink" and "party." Mary features a background wallpaper collage from the television show "The O.C." and an image of the MTV reality show star Tila Tequila. She calls modeling, dancing and singing her favorite activities.

Kay Corrodi said that she has no reason to believe either of her daughters is involved in drinking or drugs.

"Some of the messages shock me," Corrodi said, referring to Morgan's claim about getting drunk. "I'm sure she's never had a drink in her life. Their entire lives have been school, home and the Boys and Girls Club."

Authorities have received some tips from the public. A cast member at nearby Universal Studios reported taking a picture with similar-looking twins after seeing a story about the teens on a local news broadcast. The sighting, however, remains unconfirmed.

Corrodi said that she is particularly alarmed by the possibility that the two girls drove off with two women. "To me, that is unbelievable," she said. "I would almost hope that it would be two men with long hair. There are no women who would have picked them up."

The teens have been punished in the past for sneaking out of the house and racking up phone bills in conversations with boys. Family, friends and police are tracking down some of those people to see if anyone might know where the missing girls have gone.

Laura Corrodi, the twins' 23-year-old sister, said it is uncharacteristic of the pair to not return home. "Never in a million years would I have thought that they are going to do this and left for five days straight," she said.

Community members at Malibu High School, where the girls were expected to enter their junior year next month, and where other Corrodi children attend school, are lending their help to the search, posting fliers around the coastal California town known for celebrities and surfing.

Kay Corrodi said she hopes someone recognizes the pair and calls the police.

"We're a big family and we live in a small town," she said. "Everyone knows my kids."

The twins are described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with light brown hair and weighing about 115 pounds with hazel eyes. It is unclear whether they are carrying any cash, and family members say the twins do not have credit or debit cards.