Madison Bell has been found.
The development came Saturday morning just hours before an estimated 2,000 people were expected to converge on Greenfield in an organized search party.
Bell is safe and sound, according to the Sheriff’s office. She voluntarily left and refuses to tell her family where she is, according to authorities. The Sheriff said Bell told detectives she “wanted to start a new life.”
Details are limited at this time, but Bell’s parents have been notified of her safety after federal agents personally interviewed the missing teenager.
Bell, 18, vanished from Greenfield in Highland County without a trace on Sunday after her car was found abandoned at a nearby church with her cell phone and keys inside while on her way to tan.
The FBI joined the search, along with area law enforcement and scoured the area for clues since Monday afternoon.
An image of a suspect circulated after being released by investigators. It is unknown if Bell was found with the man in the photos.
Bell is not going to face criminal charges because she was an adult who left on her own volition, the Sheriff says.
