Emily Dowdle, an 11-year-old North Carolina girl missing since Tuesday afternoon, was found safe Wednesday night, police said.
WSOC-TV reported that Emily was found around 9:30 p.m. when she walked out of the woods behind her home. Emergency medical technicians checked out her condition to be sure she was not injured or sick.
Emily had last been seen getting off the bus at 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, when the driver saw her walk toward the back of her house, according to WSOC-TV. The driver told investigators that it was the Catawba Elementary School student's normal routine.
When the girl’s mother got home 15 minutes later, Emily was nowhere to be found. Her mother called police a short time later after searching the area.
Search teams with K-9s conducted a grid search overnight, but did not find the girl. The search continued the following day, with the FBI on the scene to assist in the missing person case.
"The investigation is geared towards her safety, and there's some things we just can't disclose at this time because we don't want to jeopardize what we are concerned of at this time," Catawba police Chief Dwane Coozen told the news station Wednesday.
Investigators said Emily apparently skipped school for several days before attending class on Tuesday and knew she was in trouble for her actions.
"My concern is that she is 11 years old," Coozen told WSOC-TV. "She's out there … it's a different world than what is was years ago. The survival part … knowing how to cope with things she may run into."
He said Emily lives with her father and stepmother and doesn't have a cellphone or carry cash.
News of Emily's disappearance was shared across social media while she was gone, with users imploring people to share her picture and be on the lookout for her.
For the time being, Emily has been placed in the custody of the Department of Social Services, WSOC-TV reported.
Countless emergency responders spent more than 24 hours searching for the little girl.
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