16-year-old reported missing reunited with family, deputies say

SAINT STEPHEN, S.C. (WCSC) - A teen who was reported missing from her Berkeley County home earlier this week is back with her family, deputies have confirmed.

The teenager, who deputies described as a runaway, had last been seen at her mother’s home on Rooster Lane in Saint Stephen.

Deputies said on Thursday that contact had been made with her and that a preliminary investigation revealed she left on her own free will.

The Columbia Police Department located the teen and returned her to her home, Deputy Carli Drayton said.

The teen has been removed from the National Crime Information Center database, Drayton said.

Multiple agencies searched an apartment complex in Columbia Thursday night for the teen, WIS-TV reported.

Columbia Police said they were working with Berkeley County deputies to search for the girl, but at the time, police had not confirmed her identity.

Some bystanders at the scene said they were family members who had driven to Columbia from Berkeley County to search for the teenager. They found her vehicle in the area, they said.

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