A Florida high school student was found safe after she went missing during a school field trip in Georgia, officials announced Monday night, according to multiple reports.
Mia Brailford, 16, was located at an Alabama address, CBS News reported, citing police. Officials detained a male subject in connection with Mia’s disappearance, according to CBS News.
Mia, who vanished over the weekend while on a field trip with her JROTC unit in Georgia, was found at a home in Phenix City, Alabama, CBS News reported.
The man who was detained is expected to be charged with interstate interference with child custody, a felony, according to CBS News.
Mia, an 11th-grader at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach, was last seen in her tent about 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Gerald Lawhorn Scouting Base in rural Molena, WPTV News 5 reported.
The next morning, however, she failed to appear at the 6 a.m. check-in, with classmates clueless to her whereabouts and police scrambling for any indication of where she might be.
Authorities with the Upson County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene Sunday, where a search was launched for the girl.
Atlantic Community High School Principal Sandra Edwards issued a statement Sunday addressing the matter, saying grief counselors had been brought to the campus to help students cope.
“We are a family, we are all in this together, and we will all keep Mia and her family in our thoughts until she is back home,” WPTV reported.
The campground where the girl went missing is about an hour-and-a-half drive south of Atlanta and is one of Georgia’s premier destinations for bivouacs, boating, shooting sports, rock climbing, river canoeing and tubing.
The Explore Georgia website describes the area northwest of Macon as a 2,400-acre outdoor facility that is open to the public on weekends by appointment only. The grounds are also accessible by boat.
Authorities urge anyone in the area who may have seen or heard anything suspicious to call 706-647-7411.
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