Holly MatkinLake Butler, FL – Police say a 12-year-old girl stole who her father’s car and headed off on a multi-state road trip with her 14-year-old girlfriend to meet someone they met online has been found safe in Alabama.
The Union County Police Department (UCPD) issued an Amber Alert on April 6 for Khloe Larsen, 14, and Jade Gregory, 12, after the two girls disappeared from the Lake Butler area.
Investigators said Larsen and Gregory were last seen in the 11300-block of NE County Road 237, and that they were possibly heading west on Interstate 10 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in a black 2016 Ford Taurus.
According to police, the 12-year-old stole her father’s car and picked up Larsen with the intent of heading to Louisiana to meet up with “someone they met online,” NBC News reported.
The UCPD noted no adult was believed to be with the two girls and said there was “no foul play expected.”
The identity and age of the supposed teen the girls were going to meet up with in Louisiana is unknown.
UCPD Captain Lynn Williams said investigators found “suspicious circumstances” regarding the online individual that raised “red flags” for police, NBC News reported.
The matter has been turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for further analysis.
PLEASE SHARE!#FLMissingChild Alert for 12yo Jade Gregory & 14yo Khloe Larsen, last seen 11300 block NE CR 237, Lake Butler, FL. May be in black 2016 Ford Taurus, FL tag BWKU59. May be heading west on I-10 to Baton Rouge area. Contact Union Co SO at 386-496-2501 or 911. pic.twitter.com/uASUwZd9rc
— FDLE (@fdlepio) April 6, 2023
Capt. Williams said the alert for Larsen and Gregory was issued with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana, with special attention to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the area around it, NBC News reported.
The girls drove approximately 400 miles before seeing their faces on a television at an Alabama gas station during a missing child alert broadcast, according to investigators.
They subsequently turned themselves in to police in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, NBC News reported.
The UCPD subsequently sent out an update canceling the missing children alert and advising that both girls had been found safe.
“Many thanks to the multiple agencies involved throughout Florida, Alabama and Louisiana to include the F.B.I. and FDLE. Thank you for all the tips and information received,” the UCPD said.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
