Missing Texas girl Sophie Long found in foreign country, father in custody
The 10-year-old's father was accused of kidnapping her earlier this year
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Texas 10-year-old who was reported missing earlier this year has been found in a foreign country and is set to return home to her family in the United States, according to law enforcement authorities.
According to the Collin County Sheriff's Office, Sophie Long is now in protective custody after she was reported missing earlier this year and feared to be kidnapped by her father, Michael Long, who is now in police custody.
(Michael Long, courtesy of the Texas Department of Public Safety)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement shared to social media, the sheriff's office confirmed Sophie "has been located in a foreign country and is in protective custody" as "arrangements are being made for her safe return to her family in the United States."
The statement also noted that Sophie's father – who told the Daily Mail in August that he was willing to go to jail to "protect" the daughter he was accused of taking – is "in custody on a felony warrant fo interference with Child Custody."
(Texas Department of Public Safety)
The department, which did not specifically identify which country Sophie had been found in, stated the U.S. government is "working on the extradition of Long back to Collin County, Texas."
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"Many months of determined work by my deputies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals paid off this morning. We are so happy that Sophie is safe," Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said.