Georgia teen, missing for nearly 5 months, found safe

A Georgia teenager who vanished nearly five months ago has been found safe and returned to her family, law enforcement said.

On Monday, the Carroll County sheriff's office posted the news on Facebook that Kaylee Jones, now 17, had been found.

"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 post stated.

Back on June 14, when she was still 16, Kaylee disappeared from the family home in Carrollton, Georgia, about an hour west of Atlanta. Her parents, Daniel and Brenda Jones, believe that Kaylee snuck out through the window of her bedroom, located on the second story, and fled into the night.

After the family reported her missing, the sheriff's office began coordinating with several other state and federal agencies — including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, the Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service — to try to find her, but they found no trace of Kaylee for months. Her parents were particularly worried since Kaylee, who has autism, had no means of accessing her prescription medication.

The Joneses added that they had recently confiscated her phone and computer after they discovered that Kaylee had been corresponding with "guys" on the internet in chat rooms like Omegle. Omegle boasts that people can "talk to strangers!" through its website using anonymous direct messages and video chats, though its terms of service require users to be at least 18 years old.

Kaylee's parents suggested that she may even have shared private information about herself, including her home address, with some of the men she met online. They also thought Kaylee, whom they adopted when she was 3 years old, may have used her birth name, Jillian Paige Temple, to conceal her identity while she was away from home.

"I miss my sidekick," Brenda Jones told reporters a month after Kaylee disappeared.

It is unclear when, how, or where Kaylee was rescued. There was a monetary reward offered for any tips that led to her safe return, but police have not reported whether anyone has claimed it.

"Let us focus and be grateful and thankful that this young lady is SAFE!!" the Facebook post from the sheriff's office stated.