Search locates teen girl in Oklahoma, 900 miles from North Carolina home

RUTHERFORDTON, N.C. (AP) – Investigators tracked a kidnapped girl across multiple states and found her safe in Oklahoma, 900 miles from her North Carolina home.

The FBI said in a news release that 13-year-old Aubrey Acree of Rutherford County, North Carolina, was found safe late Tuesday night in Checotah, Oklahoma.

Authorities arrested 23-year-old Jacob Gardea of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on charges including child abduction. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney. No phone listing could be found for him in a public records search.

Investigators say a key eyewitness account helped them pinpoint a vehicle used in the abduction and track it. Aubrey had been reported missing by her mother Monday.

Authorities have notified her family and are working to return her to her western North Carolina home.