A teen from Florida, Emily Wynell Paul, who vanished from her home five years ago, has made contact with the family.
In a Facebook post on July 26, Paul’s mother, Pam Myers Massimiani, wrote, “To all our friends and extended family, we want to let you know that we have heard from Emily. We do not have any further information to share at the moment. Thank you all for your support and love you have shown to our family.” Massimiani added that she was “feeling fantastic.”
Paul went missing when she was 14 years old, reports the Panama City News Herald. She would be 19 today. Paul has not yet returned home.
Anybody with any information on the disappearance of Paul is asked to call the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on 850-747-4700.
Emily Wynell Paul, now 19, took off from her Southport home on April 13, 2013, at the age of 14, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. Paul reportedly only left a note stating her intention to leave.
‘She left a three-page note behind at home which didn’t say where she was going but stated she was going to a safe place and might return after she turned eighteen,’ according to The Charley Project, a charity which investigates the cases of people who have been missing for more than a year.
Massimiani told the News-Herald in April 2016 that every year on her daughter’s birthday, she would buy a birthday cake. She also used the day to help raise awareness for her daughter’s case saying, “We hope by doing that, a tip will lead to her discovery.” Massimiani said, “We will never give up hope. We’ll always be searching. We just want to know she is alright. We need to know she is safe.”
The teen’s mother, Pam Massimiani, said last month that she had recently received a letter and, based on the contents, believed it to be from her daughter, the Panama City News Herald reported.
The sheriff’s office learned that the teen’s family “had received letters in the mail from her,” prompting Captain Jason Daffin to post a video on Facebook earlier this month asking her to get in touch with authorities, according to a Facebook post from the Criminal Investigations Division of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).
Paul phoned the sheriff’s office on Tuesday, and upon their request, went to a separate, unidentified police department a half hour later, authorities said. That police department notified the BCSO that a woman claiming to be Emily Paul had arrived.
The sheriff’s office wanted to confirm she was safe and “ensure the call was not being made under duress,” they said.
The police department gathered evidence, such as photographs, to confirm Paul’s identity and spoke with her privately.
“Emily stated that she was safe, she had a support system and she was happy where she was,” the sheriff’s office said. “She appeared to be in good health and she had arrived at the police station by herself and left by herself.”
With Paul’s reappearance, the sheriff’s office officially closed her missing person’s case.
“Recommended Video –“Missing 3-Year-Old Found Safe in Missouri Cornfield With Yorkie By Her Side”