BISCAYNE PARK, Fla. – Officers found a lost girl in Miami-Dade County — more than 1,000 miles away from the foster home she had vanished from late last year in Tennessee.
The 13-year-old girl, who was 12 years old when she vanished, told them she had hurt her foot while running away.
Sandra Bates was barefoot when the officers found her on Tuesday walking in the street, Commander Nick Wollschlager, a spokesman for the Biscayne Park Police Department, said on Thursday night.
Wollschlager said the girl told the officers that she was worried about her little sister, Sara Jones, who she had left behind.
Before Miami-Dade Fire Rescue took her to the North Shore Medical Center, the girl gave the officers’ two clues: The color of the house that she ran away from and two numbers that were part of the address.
The officers notified the Florida Department of Children and Families that Sandra had been kidnapped on Sept. 22, 2019, in Memphis.
Detectives found the house at 1312 NE 150 St. Officers with Miami-Dade and Biscayne Park police departments showed up about 12:20 p.m., on Wednesday.
They searched the home and found Sara, 9, hiding in a closet. Their 15-year-old brother, Servario Bates, who also vanished from Memphis last year wasn’t there. Officers are still searching for him.
Officers arrested the girls’ 45-year-old mother, also named Sandra Bates. She had an outstanding warrant for kidnapping since she had lost custody of her three kids.
Sandra, 13, was transferred to Jackson North Hospital. She and her sister are under the care of the Department of Children and Families.
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