HITCHCOCK, Texas – A 13-year-old whose disappearance prompted an Amber Alert is now back with her family Friday after Hitchcock police said a man from Kansas City, Missouri drove over 500 miles to get her and take her with him.
“When I first saw her today, she seemed relieved,” said Captain Jeff Evans with the Hitchcock Police Department. “She found out we were from Hitchcock, and we were bringing her home. She said she was ready to go home, and she missed her family.”
KPRC 2 is no longer identifying the girl, her family, or showing her face due to the nature of the case.
Rescuing the teen was a joint effort between the Hitchcock Police Department, the FBI’s Houston and Kansas City field offices, and Texas Equusearch.
The teen’s father said he couldn’t believe it when police told him she was in Missouri.
“I was shocked, hurt, and wanted to shed tears over it and was praying that my daughter was alright,” he said.
Texas Equusearch’s Tim Miller was able to get a chartered aircraft to bring the girl home.
“I got the call from the [Hitchcock Police] chief when he said they got eyes on her, the FBI’s going to take her,” Miller said. “They’re going to get her. It was a relief. They all don’t have this happy ending by no means. I think we have a lot of work to do with her after this,” he said.
The teen’s family said law enforcement got a search warrant to search the devices of the teenager. They believe that’s what led to finding her in Missouri.
The FBI’s Houston field office said no one is in custody related to the teen’s incident at this time but their investigation is ongoing.