SANTA CLAUS — A multi-state search for a 15-year-old girl reported missing has come to an end after law enforcement located her in Florida, police say.
The girl had been reported missing from Santa Claus in Spencer County July 21 and was found late Sunday in a Jacksonville, Fla. apartment, according to the Santa Claus Police Department.
Law enforcement agencies on the local, state and federal levels became involved in the search after police received information indicating she had left Indiana. The U.S. Marshals Service and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children assisted.
Santa Claus Police Chief James Faulkenburg told WRTV the apartment where police found the girl was also occupied by two other people: a man and a woman. Both those individuals are under investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, a joint city-county law enforcement agency.
The girl was removed from the apartment "without incident" after Santa Claus police coordinated a law enforcement response at the building.
Faulkenburg credited assisting law enforcement agencies for their contributions to the search and investigations. He also thanked members of the public for providing tips to police.
"The Santa Claus Police Department encourages all parents, and guardians, to closely monitor their loved ones' internet activity on all social media platforms," Faulkenburg wrote in a statement. "Open dialogue with our kiddos on their online activity is essential to our efforts in keeping them safe."
-
ILEA approves final recommendations to shape the future of Indy public schools
A key component of the ILEA’s recommendations includes the creation of the “Indianapolis Public Education Corporation.”
Boone County weighs solar farm ordinance with strict guidelines
Boone County officials are seeking to pass an ordinance that would allow solar farms to be developed under strict guidelines.
Bears mull move to Indiana as efforts to secure public funds in Illinois stall
The Chicago Bears say they're mulling a move to Northwest Indiana with their efforts to secure public funding they say they need to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois stalled.
Bloomington considers changing building codes to address affordable housing
The goal for 2026 and beyond is to open the barriers for smaller and denser housing construction in Bloomington.
