Karen Rojas, who was kidnapped in 2020 when she was just 5 years old, has been found safe in North Carolina.
A California girl who disappeared in 2020 at the age of 5 has been found safe nearly 2,700 miles away in North Carolina.
The child, identified as Karen Rojas by the organization Missing People in America, was reported missing from Duarte, about 20 miles east of Los Angeles, on July 1, 2020.
The Los Angeles County Department of Family Services had an active investigation involving the child at the time she disappeared, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“According to authorities, the child’s mother — who had custody — stopped communicating with DCFS personnel and was believed to have taken the child,” officials said.
Last Friday, detectives received information suggesting the child might be in Washington County, North Carolina, about 135 miles from Raleigh and roughly 2,700 miles from Southern California.
An investigation later revealed that Rojas, now 11 years old, had been enrolled at a local school in North Carolina under an alias name, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
“After working in combination with multiple agencies from NC to California, the child was taken into protective custody, and is SAFE!” authorities said.
“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 sheriff’s office added.
No arrests have been announced in connection with the case.
Because of the child’s age and the ongoing investigation, authorities said they will not release additional information.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said it will continue working with the Department of Family Services and North Carolina authorities as the investigation continues.
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