Two young Florida girls have been found safe and sound after they stole a car and drove 400 miles to meet someone they'd connected with online.
The Lake Butler girls, ages 12 and 14, had been missing since April 6th, when they disappeared along with a black Ford Taurus owned by the 12-year-old’s father, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
In issuing a multi-state missing persons report, officials noted that the girls were believed to be headed west on I-10 toward the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. Police said there was no known adult with the girls and that foul play was not expected.
Several agencies were involved in the search, including the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enfocement.
Investigators received information that the girls were likely traveling to "meet someone they met online," Chief Deputy Capt. Lyn Williams told NBC News.
The girls ultimately turned themselves in to authorities in Bayou La Batre, Alabama -- about 400 miles away from their homes in Lake Butler -- after they saw their pictures in a missing child alert on TV while stopping for gas.
Due to "suspicious circumstances" in the case, the matter has been turned over to federal officials, Williams told NBC.
No further information, including the age and identity of the person the girls were allegedly driving to meet, has been released.
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