JEFFERSON COUNTY, Fla. – A Kentucky father will be able to celebrate Christmas with his daughter for the first time in 43 years, and it is all thanks to a Crime Stoppers tip from Florida.
Michelle Newton was only 3 years old when she was taken by her mother in 1983.
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Officials say Joe Newton and his wife, Deborah Lee Newton, were planning a move to Georgia, but she left early with their daughter.
When Joe arrived, they were gone.
But the father always held onto hope that he would see his daughter again.
Michelle’s missing person poster lived online for decades — an image that her father never forgot and never stopped trying to find.
For more than four decades, there were no answers. But then, one person’s courage changed everything.
“For an individual to have the courage to come up and say I saw this. This is who I believe you’re looking for. You’re helping a victim and a victim’s family so much,” Chief Deputy Steve Healey with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Two weeks ago, Michelle Newton found out she was a missing person, and has now reunited with her father.
Michelle’s mother, Deborah Lee Newton, is now charged with custodial interference. Investigators noted that felony custodial kidnapping carries no statute of limitations. She appeared in court on Monday.
Deborah Newton is expected back in court Jan. 23.