JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 16-year-old Jacksonville girl who had been missing for more than 48 hours was found Wednesday afternoon in St. Johns County.
According to a police report, the girl disappeared Monday afternoon from her home on Hyde Grove Avenue, just off Lane Avenue on the city’s Westside.
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Her father got a call at work, saying she had gone for a walk while her mother was at a doctor’s appointment. She never returned.
Her mother, father and nine siblings were frantic and feared the worst.
“She’s just a loving, sweet girl, and we just miss her so much. We just want her home,” her mother said.
But those fears were alleviated Wednesday when the family learned the girl had been found walking along U.S. 1 near Nocatee Parkway in St. Johns County.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating her disappearance as a runaway case, but her parents insisted she has never done anything like that before and had no reason to run away.
Her relatives posted fliers all over the neighborhood, hoping someone somewhere had seen her.
“She’s always had such a beautiful, loving smile. Loves people. She loves photography,” her mother said. “She loves to take pictures of nature and beautiful things.”
According to the girl’s family, JSO searched areas around the home with bloodhounds and a helicopter after she was reported missing. Police said they didn’t suspect foul play in her disappearance, but the girl’s family said that wasn’t enough.
Her parents said all she had with her was her purse and her tablet. They also told News4JAX that the girl has been home-schooled her entire life, and they worried that she might be vulnerable to bad people.