An abducted American girl who disappeared more than four years ago has been found in Mexico, U.S. federal agents announced on Wednesday.
Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez, who is now 8, was last seen at a mall in Vancouver, Washington, when she was 4 years old, the FBI Seattle office reported.
Special agents said Aranza was kidnapped by her biological mother on Oct. 25, 2018 and the FBI had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her safe recovery.
Agents took Aranza's mother into custody in September 2019 in Puebla, Mexico, but the girl remained missing.
The FBI said agents were ultimately able to determine that Aranza had been taken to Mexico.
Authorities said the girl was located in the state of Michoacán, in western Mexico, and FBI special agents escorted her back to the United States last month.
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"Aranza’s safety and privacy is of utmost importance," the agency wrote in a news release. "Her location in the U.S. is not being disclosed, and no additional information will be released at this time."
The FBI did not release the name of the girl's mother.
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“For more than four years, the FBI and our partners did not give up on Aranza,” said Richard A. Collodi, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “Our concern now will be supporting Aranza as she begins her reintegration into the U.S.”
The FBI said it was assisted by Vancouver Police Department; Washington state’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families; Fiscalía General del Estado de Michoacán and the Instituto Nacional de Migración in the search and recovery of the girl.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
