An 11-year-old Clayton County girl who ran away from home with an unknown adult earlier this week was located Friday, officials said, but many questions remain unanswered about the circumstances around her disappearance.
Hours after Clayton police announced that federal agents had joined the search for the Jonesboro girl and were treating the investigation as a case of human trafficking, officials said she had been found alive. No other details were released, including if she had been safely recovered or the adult with her had been arrested.
The case began when officers responded to her home around 4 p.m. Tuesday, about 20 minutes after family members said she left without permission carrying a packed bag, police said. At the time, her relatives told investigators they believed the child had left with an adult man and that she had been planning this “for some time.”
After initially announcing the disappearance as a missing person case, police shared a more urgent update that said the 11-year-old may have been in danger. A human trafficking investigation was opened with the help of a federal agency, Clayton police spokeswoman Sgt. Julia Isaac said at a Friday morning news conference.
Before the child was located, Isaac said investigators did not have any identifying details about the adult suspect, including the person’s gender.
When the case was first announced Wednesday, investigators raised the possibility that she was traveling to Texas. However, Isaac said the girl was likely still in Georgia on Friday morning and she was found just a few hours later.
Her parents told Channel 2 Action News their daughter deleted her social media accounts and had not been answering her phone. They believe she met the adult on Instagram before running away, Channel 2 reported.
“Technology is ever-advancing, ever-developing new programs, new apps. So, one of the things is to be aware of what your child is doing on the phone, what apps they’re involved in or playing on,” Isaac said. “Some of these games do have chats. Just be careful.”
Although police had asked for help locating the child, they warned the public against derailing their investigators.
“Since this investigation has started, we have had many external parties interrupt or interfere with the progress of this investigation,” police said on social media, a point reinforced by Isaac on Friday morning.
Asked about people hindering the investigation, Isaac said, “They think they’re helping, but they’re not.”
Because the girl left the home of her own volition, the case was never considered a kidnapping and did not qualify for a statewide Levi’s Call, Georgia’s version of an Amber Alert, Isaac said.
Police did not say how the child was found or if they had made contact with the suspect. It is not clear if the 11-year-old suffered serious harm while she was away from her parents.
Isaac said any potential charges have not been determined and would only be filed after the investigation was complete.
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