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Missing 12-Year-Old Girl Was ‘Found Safe’ According To Officials

By Mariah Cross
Published on: 07:27 PST, Aug 3, 2018

The 12-year-old girl believed to be abducted from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport by a mystery couple was found safe on Friday, according to a tweet from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The couple, seen with Ma in the airport, are thought to have brought the young Chinese girl food while she was visiting New York with a tour group, according to a witness.

JinJing Ma was said to be in “extreme danger” according to authorities who believed she was kidnapped.

After placing an Amber Alert for the five-feet-tall, black-haired, brown-eyed,90-pound young girl, as well as sharing her photo on social media and asking for tips, Ma was found.

Arriving in New York on July 26, Ma has been missing since Thursday morning when she walked out of the airport alongside an unidentified Asian female, appearing to be in her 50’s. Another student notified chaperones that Ma was missing when the tour group went through airport security.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children thanked social media users for sharing her photo, crediting them for her safe finding.

“12-year-old JinJing Ma missing from @reagan_airport in Arlington, Virginia has been found safe! Thank you for sharing her poster, without your help we wouldn’t be able to bring you this fantastic news!” the center said in their tweet on Friday.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority released a statement on Friday with details on the disappearance, saying authorities found the young girl in Queens, New York with her parents.

The police departments involved, FBI, and task forces were recognized for helping find the 12-year-old. Airports Authority Police Chief David Huchler said he was proud of the detectives excellent work.

“This is a great example of the work that can be accomplished when the community and law enforcement come together to achieve a common goal. We are grateful that Jinjing is safe and with family. Our goal was to locate her to ensure she was safe and unharmed, and we accomplished that goal.”

Chinese media reports that Ma left the airport with her two biological parents who have been in the U.S. for two years, according to WJLA.

When the young girl’s parents saw the news story on Thursday of their missing daughter, they called a law firm to meet with the FBI. After the meeting on Friday, no one was detained and the disappearance is said to be a misunderstanding rather than an abduction.

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