A 13-year-old girl who vanished from her foster home in Florida has been found alive and safe more than 500 miles away, nearly two months after she was first reported missing.
The Disappearance and Cross-Country Journey
Wynter Wagoner was last seen at her foster parents' home in Orlando on 14 October. Her disappearance triggered a major search, but it wasn't until 26 December that she was finally located in Maryland.
According to court documents obtained by WKYT, the teenager was allegedly taken by Christian Alexander Delgado, 37. Delgado told police he had met Wynter online and claimed there had been a 'misunderstanding'. He stated he drove from his home in Florida to Kentucky to collect her, before taking her back to Florida and then on to Maryland.
The Arrest and a Million-Dollar Bond
Maryland police arrested and charged Delgado with kidnapping. During an initial court appearance, he maintained the situation was a 'misunderstanding'.
Jail records show Delgado was transferred to the Rockcastle County Detention Center in Kentucky last Friday. He is being held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court again on 5 January. He has not yet entered a plea.
The breakthrough in the case came when Wynter managed to call her aunt and provide the address of the Maryland home where she was staying, enabling authorities to locate her.
A Family's Relief and a Child's Trauma
Wynter's family have expressed their profound relief at her safe return. Her cousin, John Miller, told the Daily Mail: "We are incredibly grateful that Wynter has been found. Our focus now is on her wellbeing, her healing and surrounding her with love, stability and privacy."
He added that what she endured was "deeply personal" and thanked the public for their vigilance.
In a poignant interview with WKTY, Wynter's father, Dusty Wagoner, revealed the emotional impact on his daughter. "She's blaming herself for a lot of the stuff that she doesn't understand. She is a child. She doesn't understand," he said.
"I know nine out of 10 kids in her situation never would have made it out of it. I feel so overwhelmed and so relieved – and I'm so thankful to God," Mr Wagoner added.
Court documents also indicated that Wynter had allegedly told friends and family she was planning to run away before she went missing.
