California girl who disappeared in 2020 is found in North Carolina, authorities say

A young girl who was believed to have been kidnapped from Southern California six years ago has been found safe in North Carolina, authorities said Tuesday.

The girl, now 11, was taken into protective custody after authorities discovered that she was enrolled in Washington County schools under an alias, the local sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Officials have not provided her name.

The girl was reported missing from Los Angeles County on July 1, 2020, after her mother stopped communicating with the local child services agency during an investigation that involved the child, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a release.

Authorities believe the girl’s mother, who had custody of her, took her, the department said.

The woman was not identified, and the sheriff’s department did not immediately provide additional information about the investigation in 2020.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services said the agency is barred from discussing its possible involvement with families.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it received a tip last week that the girl might be on the other side of the country, in North Carolina. Washington County is roughly 130 miles east of Raleigh.

School resource officers with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office located her Monday, the North Carolina sheriff’s office said.

“These are very rare occurrences to have such a positive outcome on such an old case as this, but it reminds us that through hard work, and dedication, and cooperation … [s]tories with positive outcomes like these can happen,” the department said.