Missing Missouri girl found safe in Arkansas

A missing 14-year-old girl has been found safe after she reportedly ran away.

At about 2 a.m. on July 19, Morgan County deputies were sent to an address in northwest Morgan County. Deputies received information indicating a 14-year-old girl had run away from her grandparent’s home and a vehicle was also reported missing, according to a news release from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies discovered the girl had been in contact with a 28-year-old man from Sedalia. It was reported the man was a sex offender from the state of New York. This turned out to be false, and the man was not a sex offender, according to the news release.

The man was found with help from the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office and the Sedalia Police Department. The man did admit to having contact with the 14-year-old runaway at a truck stop in or near Sedalia after she ran away.

At about 6:30 a.m., the Dallas County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office said they had received a report of a gas drive off from a business in their county. The vehicle in question was identified as the car related to the missing teenager.

Around 12:15 p.m., the 14-year-old girl was found safe with the car in Hardy, Arkansas.