At the age of 13, Christina Marie Plante was last seen walking to the stables where she kept her horse.
Her disappearance led to a major search and a mystery that went unsolved for 32 years.
But now, Christina has been found alive.
When she vanished in May 1994, officials in Star Valley, Arizona, believed she may have been abducted.
They classified her disappearance as happening under ‘endangered and suspicious circumstances’.
Volunteers joined police to try and trace her, but despite ‘exhaustive ground searches, interviews and investigative follow-up’, sheriffs could find no trace.
All they could say was that she was wearing a white T-shirt, multicoloured shorts and black tennis shoes.
The case eventually went cold but was never closed and was handed over to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office.
Using modern investigative techniques, detectives developed new leads and finally there was a breakthrough.
This week, the sheriff confirmed that she has been found.
Investigators said they have ‘confirmed her identity, and her status as a missing person has been officially resolved’.
They added that ‘out of respect for Christina’s privacy and well-being, additional details will not be released’.
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