An 8-year-old girl whose father had not heard from her in months was found safe in Lafayette, Louisiana, and reunited with him, Homestead police said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Friday issued the alert for Liah Meza after her father said he hadn't seen or heard from his daughter since June 12, despite having a 50-50 custody agreement.
The missing child alert was canceled on Saturday and police thanked the media, public and community "in assisting with the safe return of Liah."
Christian Meza, the child's father, said felt like he had no other choice but to report the situation to Miami-Dade Police after multiple attempts to reach Liah's mother went unanswered.
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"It breaks my heart, honestly, I don’t spend a moment away from her when she’s with me," he said.
Meza urged for help finding his daughter, who was believed to be with her mother, 38-year-old Yailen Roche, and the mother's boyfriend, 38-year-old Geovany Maresma-Burcet.
Authorities said the child, along with Roche and Maresma-Burcet, were traveling in the Lafayette, Louisiana area in a 2021 white Honda Pilot with Florida tag QEAE24.
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More details about how Liah was found or if she was in the company of her mother were not immediately revealed.
