Indian American teenager Tanvi Marupally was found in Florida's Tampa, 74 days after the 14-year-old reportedly disappeared from home.
Tanvi Marupally has been located. Due to a tip received through @MissingKids from a Tampa resident, she was found safe in FL. Her parents were notified & we're working with @TampaPD & U.S. Marshals to bring her back to Conway. For more info: https://t.co/OolepFexfc pic.twitter.com/NlpIxUcTh4
— Conway Police Dept. (@ConwayPolice) March 29, 2023
"Her parents have been notified and we are currently working with Tampa Police Department and the US Marshals Service to bring her back to Conway," the Conway Police Department announced on a Facebook post. They thanked the community and the agencies involved in finding the teenager. "This investigation will continue, and we will release more information as it becomes available," the police added.
The month-long search for Marupally extended to Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Tennessee. According to the media, information about Marupally was passed on to the police by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which received a heads-up from a Tampa resident. "They recognized a situation. They may have recognized the child. They took a quick picture and sent it to our call center," said John Bischoff, vice president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A reward of US $25,000 has been offered for helping police locate the girl's whereabouts.
Marupally reportedly fled from Conway Junior High School on January 17, 2023. Her father told the media that he believes his daughter ran away because of their uncertain immigration status. He worked at a tech firm, an told the teenager that they would have to leave the U.S. if he loses his work visa. The parents were engaged in the search mission and handed hundreds of flyers in all parks and surrounding areas. Her father reportedly visited around 45 Arkansas state parks to locate her.
