A terrifying night for one Florida family ended in relief after deputies found a missing 14-year-old girl with autism who became lost while riding her bike after dark. The girl, who has high-functioning autism, went out for a bike ride on Wednesday evening but became disoriented and couldn’t find her way back home.
Her mother, Amber Toel, received a call from her daughter and immediately started searching for her. When the girl’s phone died and the sun began to set, Toel called 911, and Flagler County sheriff’s deputies responded quickly, launching a search of the area.
Using drones and searching along nearby trails and railroad tracks, deputies located the teen about 30 minutes later. The girl had an electric bike with a headlamp, which helped deputies spot her in the distance.
Reunion
Body camera video captured the emotional moments after deputies found the girl. ‘Where’s my mom?’ she asked. ‘We’re going to take you to your mom,’ a deputy replied. The girl then asked for a hug, saying she was scared.
Toel was grateful to the deputies for finding her daughter. ‘I felt every sense in my body just relax,’ she said. ‘Pure gratefulness to them for finding her, pure relief, frustration. There were a lot of emotions.’
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office praised the deputies involved, saying their quick response and coordinated search helped bring the girl home safely. No injuries were reported.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
