A 6-year-old Gwinnett County girl was found safe Thursday night, nearly seven hours after her family told police she went missing.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. Aniyah Mason was found in a yard in the same neighborhood as her Princeton Oaks Drive home, near Sugar Hill, Cpl. Brian Kelly with Gwinnett County police said.
Aniyah was not harmed and was not a victim of foul play, Kelly said. No charges are expected to be filed, he said.
The girl's safe return was a huge relief to the dozens of neighbors that joined police officers in the search efforts, Kelly said.
A "reverse 911″ call from Gwinnett police alerted nearby residents Thursday evening that Aniyah was missing, and neighbors assisted with the search by handing out flyers with the child's picture.
After returning home from Sycamore Elementary School, Aniyah disappeared around 3:40 p.m. after going to play outside, Kelly said. As the hours passed, concern grew for the child's safety.
In addition to numerous police officers, emergency management officials, K-9 officers and a blood hound from nearby Phillips State Prison assisted with the search, Kelly said. A police helicopter also searched for the child.
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