ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A 12-year-old girl who had been missing for one week was found unharmed Friday, and the man she was with was taken into custody, a local official said.
Brittany May Smith and Jeffrey Scott Easley were found out of state, said Roanoke County spokeswoman Teresa Hamilton Hall, who could not provide additional details. County police planned a news conference at 8 p.m. Friday.
Easley, 32, was the live-in boyfriend of Brittany’s mother, who was found dead in her home on Monday. Police have not released the cause of Tina Smith’s death, but have ruled it a homicide.
Police had sought Easley for abduction, but they have declined to say whether they consider him a suspect in the mother’s death.
Brittany and Easley hadn’t been seen since Dec. 3, when they were captured on store surveillance video at a Walmart in Salem.
Brittany’s disappearance had generated more than 700 tips to Roanoke County police, who earlier Friday said they were deeply concerned after finding no trace of the girl after days of searching.
After learning that her granddaughter was safe, Liz Dyer told The Roanoke Times: “We’re so glad. We’re bouncing off the walls.”
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