A mother and daughter who had been reported missing for five years were found on Tuesday following a joint effort between local law enforcement agencies in North Carolina, and the US Marshal Service.
Amber Weber and her daughter, Miracle Smith, were first reported missing back in January 2017, although they hadn't officially been spotted since 4 December 2016. At the time, Miracle was just one-year-old, raising obvious concerns over the welfare of both mother and daughter.
However, as Fox first reported, the pair were located on Tuesday in a trailer on Lemon lane in Bunnlevel.
Local police indicate that a 59-year-old man named Joe Smith could well have been involved in the initial disappearance of the pair – although no tangible relationship has yet been established.
“The culmination of years of following leads and tips resulted in the outcome that we had all hoped for today; the successful recovery of a child who had been missing since December 2016,” Michael East, US Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina, said in a statement on Tuesday.
“I am so thankful that the individuals were located safely due to the hard work and perseverance of all of the agencies involved,” Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats added.
“This is a testament to the professional working relationship between all of these agencies and I am grateful for them. These types of investigations are very complex and require many hours in the field to bring this case to a positive conclusion.”
Monty Weber, Amber Weber’s father, told the media in an interview on Tuesday where his daughter had been just before disappearing almost five years prior.
“Our daughter [her sister] called and said she took off in the middle of the night,” he told WNCN. “Didn’t bring clothes or nothing, just grabbed the baby. We figured somebody came and picked her up.”
Multiple reports previously claimed that Weber had received medical treatment at a hospital in Harnett County in February 2018, but her family was unable to get in touch with her at the time.
“We had no way to find out,” Monty Weber said. “Nobody would talk to us.”
Now that both parties have been safely located, the task for local police is to try and piece together what exactly led to the pair’s initial disappearance. For the time being, however, the authorities are simply relieved to have safely located them.
“This investigation highlights the dedication and perseverance of every investigator involved,” said Gina Hawkins, Fayetteville Police Chief on Tuesday.
