JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 17-year-old foster child who "vanished off the face of the earth" in 1999 was located last week, living with her two young children in Allentown, Pa.

Jennifer Carbonell was dropped off to her job at a Palm Coast Steak 'N Shake by her foster mother on June 24, 1999, and never seen again. Since she was an at-risk juvenile in protective custody at the time of her disappearance, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office searched for her and sent bulletins to law enforcement agencies nationally and listed her with the National Register for Missing and Exploited Children.

Years later, with leads dried up and the case stale, Flagler County Investigator Kim Davis became involved when she was asked if a body found in North Carolina could be Carbonell. It was not a match, but it renewed interest in missing-persons case.

Davis and Deputy Sam Cooper learned that Carbonell had a young child before she disappeared, and that boy was placed with his paternal grandmother when the teen was taken into custody of the state.

Deputies learned that four years after Carbonell disappeared, she sent a gift card to her first-born son, along with a photo of herself and her two other children. The envelope had a Pennsylvania postmark.

Davis located Carbonell, now 27, living in Allentown, and local authorities confirmed her identity and well-being.

"I never would have expected to find a missing 'at-risk' juvenile ... more than nine years later, but fortunately this case had a happy ending," Davis said.

Carbonell was not only doing well but had earned a college degree. Authorities did not say why she had disappeared or chose not to clear her name with Flagler County authorities after she became an adult.