The teen's family reported her missing on Feb. 16
Credit: Ohio Attorney General
NEED TO KNOW
- Madison Fields, 16, was reported missing by her family on Feb. 16
- The FBI Cincinnati, the Colerain Police Department, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation announced on Thursday, March 12, that she was safely found
- Authorities located the Ohio teen after identifying a suspect, who was taken into custody but has not been officially charged
Madison Fields, 16, has been found safe one month after she was reported missing.
The Fields family reported the Ohio teen missing on Feb. 16. She was later located in a Florida hotel, the FBI Cincinnati, the Colerain Police Department, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) announced in a news release on Friday, March 13.
She was found after the law enforcement agencies identified a person of interest in her disappearance. “The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) deployed to the suspect’s home, but the suspect had fled prior to their arrival,” the news release read.
Authorities issued an alert for the suspect and his vehicle, which led the FBI Jacksonville to the suspect’s car in the parking lot of a Palatka, Fla., police station.
Law enforcement identified a Florida hotel where the suspect was believed to be, and upon arrival, found Madison there.
The suspect was taken into custody, but has not yet been publicly identified by police. No official charges have been announced.
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“We are thankful Madison is safe and will soon be back in Ohio," FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie said, thanking the law enforcement agencies for locating the teen.
Colerain Police Chief Edwin C. Cordie III echoed the sentiment and added, “We are all relieved that Madison has been safely located.”
A friend of the Fields family, Alexis Thompson, told WLWT that Madison’s father, Tyler Hirn, is “thankful that she was OK.”
“He said he didn't even know what part of Florida she was in, but that Madison was safe at this time. You can imagine her family and friends can't wait to get Madison back home to Cincinnati," Thompson said.
Thompson said the family is grateful to the Cincinnati community for their prayers. “We can't thank you all enough every little detail matters and finally the family and friends can have some type of conclusion I can imagine she's probably overwhelmed and confused as she's just a 16-year-old girl, but I really hope Madison knows how loved she is.”
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