Ashland, Ore — NBC5 News was the first to tell you Hannah Thomas-Garner was found yesterday on Facebook and at KOBI5.com.
This weekend she is reunited with family and on her way to Texas where her father lives.
Thomas-Garner was found safe in Santa Cruz, California after disappearing last November.
“She’s loved, and she’s missed, and we really want her home,” said Jeff Garner in December of 2014, just weeks after his 17 year old daughter, Hannah Thomas-Garner disappeared from a party in Ashland.
“It’s just shocking that she’s here, with me, right now,” said Garner via phone the night he reunited with Hannah.
“She called me up and said dad, I’m sorry that I put everybody through this and I said, well okay are you safe and she said yes, I’m fine I’m safe, and I’m ready to come home,” said Garner.
Garner told NBC5 News that Hannah had run away to Santa Cruz California. Details were scarce and her disappearance grabbed major media and police attention.
“The best information that we had initially was that she had planned on running away, that she planned on going to a warmer place and she wanted to be off the grid,” said Sgt. Bob Smith with Ashland Police.
Hannah’s car was found abandoned and damaged in northern California, prompting questions as to whether Hannah was in danger.
We were trying to do the best that we could to locate her as fast as we could based on leads that we were getting,” said Smith.
The search for Hannah spanned the country with sightings as far away as Florida.
The outcome is the best that i could have hoped for, said Sgt. Smith.
The call came in, Hannah Thomas-Garner is home, safe.
“I’m happy and Hannah’s happy too and she’s safe and we’re extremely happy,” said Jeff Garner.
The Ashland Police Department says they handled 28 missing and endangered child cases in 2014 including Hannah’s. For more information on helping find missing children visit – Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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