Amber Alert canceled after missing Waxahachie girl found at Dallas hotel; no arrests made
The Amber Alert for a Waxahachie girl was canceled Friday morning after the 12-year-old was found safe at a hotel in south Dallas, authorities said.
The girl was found alone at around 9:30 a.m. Friday in a hotel room in a “high-crime area” after investigators with a task force received an anonymous tip, authorities said. No arrests have been made in the case. The investigation is ongoing and it has not yet been determined whether the girl was a victim of human trafficking or how she got to the hotel, officials said Friday.
North Texas law enforcement officials believed the girl was in grave or immediate danger when the alert was issued Wednesday. She was initially reported missing from Waxahachie on Wednesday, but police later said she may have been spotted near the University of North Texas campus in Denton after receiving a tip. Authorities were working with UNT police to search that area Thursday.
The task force used the girl’s phone to generate leads, which she left behind, according to authorities.
Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas division held a news conference Friday afternoon at which more details were released. Child exploitation and human trafficking are among the crimes that HSI investigates, and the task force will continue to investigate whether any such crimes were involved in this case.
The girl previously ran away from home last summer, authorities said.
Anyone with information about the girl’s whereabouts was asked to call the Waxahachie Police Department at 469-309-4563.
Waxahachie is a town in Ellis County around 42 miles southeast of Fort Worth.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 7:41 AM.
