TEXAS, USA — UPDATE (3:26 p.m. Feb. 22): Sterling County Sheriff Russell Irby said Thursday his office received a call from Galveston Police Tuesday giving a possible location for Gabriella "Ella" Caito, 15.
The information the SCSO received indicated the teenager was on a Greyhound bus traveling northbound on US Hwy 87. Irby found the bus approximately 18 miles north on US 87 in Sterling County.
Caito was on the bus. She was reunited with her parents at around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday.
ORIGINAL STORY: A 15-year-old missing teen at the center of an AMBER Alert issued by Galveston Police was found safe in West Texas this week.
The Galveston Police Department said Wednesday Gabriella “Ella” Caito was found safe during a traffic stop near San Angelo. We've reached out to the police department for more information on the location of the stop.
Law enforcement agencies had been looking for Caito since early Tuesday morning when she was reportedly seen by friends leaving and getting into a vehicle in the 7000 block of Seawall Boulevard in Galveston.
Our sister station, KHOU, said police told them the teen went to Galveston from out-of-state to vacation with a friend's family and didn't know anyone there. Her parents headed to the island from New York when they learned she was missing.
Galveston PD later issued the AMBER alert to notify law enforcement agencies across the state.
Detectives will be working with others and consulting with the Galveston County District Attorney’s office about any possible charges that may be filed in connection to the incident, GPD said in the release.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information they believe may be helpful to the case is asked to contact GPD investigators at 409-370-9520.
