A Dartmouth family says they aren't happy with how police are handling the case of their missing 20-year-old daughter.

Melissa Peacock's family says they haven't heard from her in one week, and they are very concerned for her well-being.

Stepfather James Slauenwhite says he usually texts his stepdaughter when he wants to reach her, but his texts to her have gone unanswered for a week.

"Monday night Melissa told us that she just needed to go for a walk, to clear her head," says Slauenwhite. "Then she started texting with mom, saying that she was going to the country with a buddy…and that's that vague. Those were her words."

But Peacock didn't return home, and her last text message has her family concerned.

Slauenwhite says it reads "I'm really sorry. I don't want to be here. I just want to be home."

Peacock's family says the police aren't taking the case seriously. They say their calls to the police haven't been returned on some occasions, and when they question the lack of contact, they have been told officers are busy.

"We do have a complaint that she has gone missing," says Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. Brian Palmeter. "However, through the course of our investigation, which we have had several officers working on, we've received conflicting information as to whether she's actually missing, or if she's gone off on her own."

Meanwhile, her family has been conducting their own search, and a Facebook page has been created to spread awareness about her disappearance.

Her family says they have reason to be concerned because there has been no activity on Peacock's personal Facebook page for a week, which is unusual for the young woman.

"She would not go more than a day without having some sort of Facebook activity, some texting," says Slauenwhite.

No matter where she is, her 15-year-old brother Tyler says he has a message for her.

"She should just come home because everybody misses her," he says. "Our family is torn apart without her."

And her family says they won't rest until they hear from Peacock themselves.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell