Kamaria Johnson: Missing teen found safe more than a year after vanishing says she fled abusive dad
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RADCLIFF, KENTUCKY: A teenage girl from Radcliff, Kentucky has been reunited with her family after she went missing for more than a year.
Kamaria Johnson, 18, was last seen on May 26, 2021. As per Radcliff Police Department's Facebook post shared on Saturday, December 3, the teen was recently "found safe" and is no longer listed as a missing person. RPD Captain Willie Wells told People that Johnson's mother brought her missing daughter to the department on Friday at about 9.30 pm. As per the outlet, she was reunited with her family the same day, said the police, according to ABC affiliate WHAS-TV. On Monday, December 5, Johnson told WDRB News she was in Memphis, Tennessee, away and safe from her abusive father. She fled home as she was left with no choice but to fend for herself.
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"I had to save myself," Johnson said. "And I feel really guilty about it, but I just couldn't do it and it was just a lot to deal with, and no one was listening to me." Johnson reportedly went missing after getting into a car at a gas station in Meade County. Earlier that night, she said her father physically hurt her as he punched her and stomped on her head.
"Before he sent me back to my room, he tells me that in the morning I gotta go," Johnson recalled the ordeal. "There's no if, ands or buts, but I have to leave." She reportedly left with no plans but eventually found herself in Memphis where she stayed off social media and kept a low profile. "I was still intensely in survival mode, but it was definitely safer than the situation that I was in," Johnson said.
After turning 18, Johnson said she felt comfortable enough to reach out to her mother, Consuela Jobe, who had shared custody with her father. "There was just this really big fear that if I had reached out before that I would get sent back to my Dad," Johnson explained. The pair connected over the phone and after confirming that it was really her daughter, Jobe drove six hours to get her. "I just wanted to be able to physically see her and hear her voice," Jobe said.
Police confirmed that no criminal charges are expected to be filed in connection to this case, according to WHAS. Both mother and daughter are now looking forward to healing and beginning a new chapter in their lives. Jobe said she hopes her daughter can get "some counseling and whatever help she needs," WDRB reported. While Johnson has much catching up to do with her family, she is excited to continue her education and major in developmental psychology. "Honestly, I got what I wanted for Christmas, reuniting with my family," she concluded.