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Kaylee Jones FOUND SAFE: Teen who vanished 5 months ago after befriending strangers online is located

Kaylee, who has autism, used her laptop to communicate with strangers on websites and chatrooms like Omegle

CARROLLTON, GEORGIA: A Caroll County teenage girl has been found after 5 months of tireless investigation. Seventeen-year-old Kylee Jones, who reportedly went missing after leaving her family's home in the 700 block of Whooping Creek Church Road in Carrollton on June 14 by climbing out of her second-floor bedroom window, was reunited with her family on Nov 7, a Monday, the county sheriff announced, Fox5 reported.

Jones had been considered missing since she snuck out of the house without her phone and computer on June 14, 2021. After her parents discovered she was chatting online with strangers, the confiscated all devices. The teen's parents feared their daughter may have fallen victim to sex trafficking. Police searched for her for months, but were "grateful" to eventually find her.

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Several law enforcement agencies, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, FBI, the Secret Service, the US Marshals Service and local authorities have joined the search for the missing 17-year-old with special needs, who her parents say hasn't taken her prescribed medication for months.

"This continues to be a very active and fluid investigation and no further details will be released at this time due to the sensitive nature of the case," the sheriff's office wrote on its Facebook page. "However, let us focus and be grateful and thankful that this young lady is SAFE!!"

After her disappearance, her father said his wife found out that Kaylee, who is autistic, had been talking to four to five men on Snapchat and to many strangers on another video chat platform, Omegle. Her parents were worried that she had fallen into a trap or might even be dating one of the men she was talking to. The father said, "You never think it's going to happen to you. I tried to run this and enforce this and re-enforce this in her mind that she cannot trust everybody that she sees. They prey on these kids. And it's sickening, but it's a reality. And all we can do as parents is train our kids," according to DailyMail.

Although a reward was offered for her safe return, authorities have not announced whether anyone had claimed it.