Karen Rojas, a 5-year-old child kidnapped from Duarte nearly six years ago, has been found safe in North Carolina, where she is registered in school under a fake name and lives more than 2,600 miles away.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office reported on Tuesday that they had taken the now-11-year-old into protective custody and ensured her safety. Deputies found her after the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services notified North Carolina law enforcement that she might be in the state.
Karen was originally reported missing on June 2, 2020, in Duarte, a community roughly 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Since then, she has been identified as an abduction victim, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been tracking her case.
Karen had been enrolled at Washington County Schools using an assumed name, according to investigators. Washington County is located about 135 miles east of Raleigh, near the Albemarle Sound. Detectives are still investigating how she ended up more than 2,650 miles from her California home.
Multiple agencies from North Carolina and California collaborated to locate her. According to ABC30, officers took Karen into protective custody after confirming her identity. this are incredibly unusual instances to have such a happy ending on such an old case as this, but it reminds us that with hard work, dedication, and teamwork, stories like this can happen,” the Washington County Sheriff’s Office stated in a statement.
“These are very rare occurrences to have such a positive outcome on such an old case as this, but it reminds us that through hard work, and dedication, and cooperation, stories with positive outcomes like these can happen,” the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The Charlotte Observer stated that no arrests have been made in connection with the kidnapping. The sheriff’s office stated that due to Karen’s age and continuing investigations, no other information is available at this time.
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