Missing Georgia girl, 14, found safe in Texas, school district says
UPDATE:
Missing Georgia teen Caitlin Winchester has been found safe in Arlington, Texas, Atlanta Public Schools confirmed in a statement Wednesday.
The 14-year-old was reported missing after she didn’t return home from her first day of school on Aug. 5.
“The family has been notified and has requested privacy at this time,” the school district said in a statement. “APSPD continues to work with the FBI on the next steps in the investigation. No additional details on this case are available.”
ORIGINAL:
Parents Angela and Roger Winchester said their 14-year-old daughter was “so excited” about her first day back at school in more than a year.
Caitlin Winchester kicked off her freshman year at North Atlanta High School on Thursday and was supposed to board a bus back to her Buckhead neighborhood when school let out that afternoon, her parents told WGCL. But she never made it home.
“I’ve been calling her number all through the night, all through the morning, and I haven’t been able to reach her,” Angela Winchester told the news station. “And it just clicks. It doesn’t even ring anymore.”
The teen was last seen Aug. 5 around 4 p.m. walking south on Northside Parkway toward Mt. Paran Road, according to a photo posted on North Atlanta High School’s official Facebook page. Officials said Caitlin was last seen wearing a black top with a brown and red plaid skirt.
She also has long braids in her hair.
The search for Caitlin continued Monday with assistance from the Atlanta Police Department and the FBI, Atlanta Public Schools confirmed to McClatchy News on Monday.
“The safety and well-being of all Atlanta Public Schools students and employees is paramount to the district,” the district said in a statement. “As such, APSPD has entered the student’s name into the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) database, and is working with the family and other law enforcement agencies – including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Atlanta Police Department – to find the student and return her safely to her family.”
Caitlin’s dad told WGCL that his daughter opted to ride the bus home from school that day and texted her parents to let them know the bus was stuck in traffic after 5:40 p.m. However, officials with Atlanta Public Schools said the teen didn’t get on a school bus and was last seen walking along Northside near the school.
Anyone with information on Caitlin’s whereabouts is asked to call Atlanta Public Schools Police at 404-802-2000.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Missing Georgia girl, 14, found safe in Texas, school district says."