- Stella Brannen Salter, 7, and her mother Wendy Salter, 46, left Lyons, Georgia
- Drove to Orlando and flew to Puerto Rico until they were found on Saturday
- Stella sent back to her father, who has custody, and Wendy was arrested
A seven-year-old girl who disappeared with her mother in Georgia has been found nine days later in Puerto Rico.
Stella Brannen Salter and her mother Wendy Salter, 46, were last seen in Lyons, Georgia, on March 29 and left town after that.
They were believed to be traveling in a 2007 gold Volvo C70 with Georgia tag GEE777.
Stella Brannen Salter and her mother Wendy Salter, 46, were last seen in Lyons, Georgia, on March 29 and left town after that
She was arrested by local police at a shop on the Caribbean island about 12pm on Saturday and taken to Bayamón Correctional Complex
Wendy’s phone pinged near Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday and police said she booked a flight to Puerto Rico.
The FBI finally tracked down Wendy to Bayamón, in the capital San Juan’s western suburbs, after she used her credit card to make transactions.
She was arrested by local police at a shop on the Caribbean island about 12pm on Saturday and taken to Bayamón Correctional Complex.
Stella was found in a nearby hotel room where they were staying but local media reported they were camped out in the shop days earlier.
Wendy did not have custody of her daughter, and Stella has been returned to her father, Jeremy Salter.
Wendy was a school counselor for more than a decade and now writes children’s books.
The Lyons Police Department and the FBI will extradite Wendy back to Georgia where she will likely face charges. She will face court on April 11.
Stella has been returned to her father and Wendy did not have custody of her daughter and will be extradited back to Georgia where she will likely face charges
Wendy did not have custody of her daughter, and Stella has been returned to her father, Jeremy Salter
Friends sent panicked messages to Wendy in the comments of her Facebook posts after she updated her profile on April 2.
‘Come on sis. You have everyone worried about you… let someone know you’re okay. Or if you’re not let someone know,’ one wrote.
‘You are loved by many and your girls need you to be safe.’
Another added: ‘I want you to know I love y’all and I hope y’all are safe! If you decided to run just let someone know you’re safe so people can quit worrying. I wish nothing but the best for you.’
A third wrote: ‘Hey sweetheart, you have a lot of people that love you very worried, please let someone know that you and baby girl are ok.’
A fourth friend said they were only an hour away from Orlando if she needed help, but by then she was already in Puerto Rico.
