An Indian American teenager has been found safe after disappearing from her home nearly 74 days ago.
To the point: Missing 14-year-old Tanvi Marupally was located in Florida's Tampa, according to a Facebook post from the Conway Police Department on Thursday, 30 March.
Information on the teen's whereabouts was passed along to the police by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which reportedly received a heads-up from a Tampa resident
A $25,000 reward had been offered for knowledge of Tanvi's location
"Her parents have been notified and we are currently working with the Tampa Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service to bring her back to Conway," police said. A special thanks to the community and the involved agencies for helping bring Tanvi home," the police said.
Why it matters: Tanvi allegedly ran away from her home in Conway, Arkansas, for fear of being deported from the country. It is indicative of the US immigration system that is often harsh on the scores of people that come to the country with dreams and ambitions for a better life.
The search: Tanvi ran away from her school, Conway Junior High School, on 17 January. Security footage purportedly showed her walking past the bus stop near her school, wearing a purple coat, a pink pullover, and blue jeans.
In the days that followed, her parents handed out hundreds of flyers, and several volunteers, besides the police, pitched in to find the girl
They had searched for Tanvi in all the parks that she used to frequent, but to no avail. Her father had said that they must have gone to around 45 Arkansas state parks so far
Tanvi's father had said that he believes his daughter ran away because of the family's uncertain immigration status
Since he works for a tech firm, Pavan Marupally faces the possibility of being laid off amid the industry-wide job cuts. If that happens, he may lose his work visa and the family would have to leave the US
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