In a Facebook statement, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the case of Plante, a missing teenager who is now an adult, has been officially closed after she was found.
Captain Jamie Garrett reached out to the woman to verify her identity and discovered that Plante had intentionally left, with help from others.
“I was dumbfounded,” the cold case investigator revealed on Jesse Weber Live on April 2. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Okay, so you ran away.’ I told her … ‘You know, we were under the impression that somebody kidnapped you. It was deemed a criminal offense.'”
He speculated, “I guess she wasn’t happy with where she was living and who she was living with, and she ran away.”
Plante reportedly commented that the events were “a long time ago” and referred to it as “an old life.”
“She’s in her adult life. She has her family now. That’s not something she even thinks about,” Garrett added.
Advancements in technology and new investigative methods reportedly enabled authorities to find Plante.
Chief Deputy James Lahti shared a similar view in an interview with NBC News, stating they were unaware of Plante’s whereabouts and believed she had been kidnapped.
“We’re still in the process of looking into what happened, and as new information develops, we will be providing updates,” Lahti mentioned.
Meanwhile, Hudgens noted that Plante’s father had custody of her, but she wished to live with her mother.
“It was a custody battle,” he explained.
