Missing girl abducted six years ago found alive 2,600 miles away

A girl who was kidnapped when she was just five-years-old has been found safe and well more than half a decade later.

Police tracked down Karen Rojas around 2,600 miles away from where she disappeared in Duarte, California, six years ago.

The youngster - who was described as being only 3inches tall, weighing 40lb with brown hair and brown eyes at the time of her disappearance - was last seen in the area on 2 June, 2020.

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) had been conducting 'an investigation involving the child' before she was snatched, cops in California said.

Officials explained that Karen's mother, who had custody of her, had 'stopped communicating with DCFS personnel and was believed to have taken the child'.

The trail then went cold - but last Friday (6 March), detectives at the Temple Sheriff's Station in Los Angeles received a tip off about the young girl's whereabouts.

Karen Rojas vanished when she was just five-years-old (Washington County Sheriff's Office)

Investigators were informed that Karen, who is now 11, might be living in Washington County, North Carolina.

The detectives then contacted officers in the state, who followed up on the clue and managed to located the child.

According to cops in Washington County, Karen had been enrolled in a local school 'under an alias name'.

In a statement, the force said: "After working in combination with multiple agencies from NC to California the child was taken into protective custody, and is SAFE!

"These are very rare occurrences to have such a positive outcome on such an old case as this, but it reminds us that through hard work, and dedication, and cooperation.

"Stories with positive outcomes like these can happen. Due to the age of the child, and current investigations underway no more information is available at this time and her name is being withheld for privacy reasons."

The youngster has now been found safe and well in North Carolina (Washington County Sheriff's Office)

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) issued a similar celebratory statement after it was confirmed that Karen had been found.

It read: "On Friday, March 6, Temple Station detectives received information suggesting the child might be in Washington County, North Carolina.

"Detectives contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, which conducted a follow-up investigation within its jurisdiction and located the child enrolled at a local school.

"The child has been safely recovered and is now in protective custody. The investigation remains ongoing.

"The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues to work with DCFS and authorities in North Carolina."

Officials have not yet announced if any arrests or charges have or will be made in connection with the 2020 kidnapping case. It is not clear who Karen was living with in North Carolina.