Indiana girl, 16, found safe in Arkansas, possible kidnapper in custody

A missing 16-year-old Indiana girl was found safe in Arkansas Sunday and a person has been arrested in connection with her disappearance.

The girl had last been seen about 9 a.m. Saturday in Crown Point, Indiana, the Lake County sheriff’s office said. About 11:20 a.m. Sunday, her mother posted to Facebook saying “THEY FOUND HER!!!!!! Safe.”

The girl’s grandmother posted to Facebook 10 minutes later saying “The FBI has found my granddaughter in Arkansas.”

The FBI’s Indianapolis division confirmed to the Sun-Times that the girl is safe, saying that they assisted the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI’s Little Rock division in locating her.

“She was recovered safely and a subject is in custody in connection with her disappearance,” FBI spokesperson Chris Bavender said.

The FBI declined to identify the person who was arrested, but Indiana authorities believed the girl was with a 22-year-old man that she knew, saying that she was in “extreme danger.” The girl’s family had previously filed a protective order against the man for stalking, Crown Point police said.

The Crown Point Police Department said that the girl had last been seen in her own car, which was later found abandoned near the corner of Magnolia and Sherwood Drives. Her belongings were still in the car and one of the windows was cracked, Crown Point police said.

Indiana police authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.