HOUSTON - Private investigators and two other sources confirmed Thursday evening that a local teen has been found safe.
Isabella McCarble, 15, was reported missing by her mother more than a week ago. Her mother told KHOU 11 News she feared her daughter was lured away by sex traffickers.
Staff members at the Motherhood Center said McCarble walked into the center around 4 p.m. Thursday and asked to use the phone to call her mom.
Less than an hour later Private Investigator Brad Perkins picked her up and delivered her to her family.
"We don't know why or the full story of why she came to the Motherhood Center, but we are definitely glad that she did and I feel like it was the right place for her to walk in because everyone here is very nurturing and supportive," said Gabriela Gerhart with the Motherhood Center.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions.
We don't know where she's been or what she's been through. At this time, we just know she walked through the center's doors by herself, ready to go home.
McCarble is a sophomore at Memorial High School and was seen at the school last Thursday, two days after her mother had seen her last.
A few hours after the teen was found, her family issued the following statement:
“We are profoundly grateful that Isabella was safely recovered and is now receiving medical treatment.
Words hardly can express our relief that our family has begun to heal from this incident after a relentless search led by her mother and father.
Many people deserve our thanks tonight. This case was solved because of the extraordinary work of private investigator Brad Perkins and his team at Your Eye Investigations in Houston.
Their surveillance of several persons of interest at multiple locations, along with breaks developed tonight, proved to be of invaluable importance. We will never forget their work and dedication to our family.
We also very much appreciate the nonstop help and guidance of Tim McCarble, Isabella’s uncle; Philip Klein of Klein Investigations and Consulting of Houston; community advocate Jennifer Hohman of Houston Texas CAN; Barry Gomel; local and federal law enforcement personnel, including Harris County Constable Alan Rosen and Tim Cannon of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office; school officials; and so many friends and supporters of our family in Houston and beyond.
Throughout this ordeal, we were lifted by the many prayers and kind thoughts of people from Houston and other places around the nation. As our family recovers, we ask for privacy for now. Thank you.”
There is no word on the girl's condition at this time. We are working to gather more details and will update this story as more information becomes available.
EXCLUSIVE: @Motherhood_Cntr says missing teen walked through doors today & asked to call mom. They comforted her until help arrived #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/zykm0FnomV
— Grace White (@GraceWhiteKHOU) October 13, 2017
BREAKING: 15-year-old Isabella McCarble found safe #KHOU11 #HouNews pic.twitter.com/kNi7hGqaVV
— Grace White (@GraceWhiteKHOU) October 12, 2017