Missing Southern California teen found safe after disappearing on 1st day of school

UPDATE : Mayanin Vazquez has been found safe and reunited with her family, KTLA learned early Wednesday.

“We cannot express our gratitude enough for the community’s support in finding Mayanin and bringing her back home,” said a family spokesperson.

No further details about Vazquez’s return were provided. The family has asked for privacy as they focus on reuniting and moving forward.

ORIGINAL STORY : Loved ones are distraught after a 16-year-old girl never came home from school and has not been heard from since.

On Aug. 12, Mayanin Vazquez and her siblings began their day by walking to South East High School in South Gate.

However, along the way, Vazquez separated from the group and missed her first day of class.

The last known image of Vazquez was captured outside a Smart & Final grocery store on the 9800 block of Laurel Street in Watts.

The girl was seen walking with a mystery man and his arm was seen wrapped around her shoulders. Family members do not know the man and are struggling to find answers in their search for Vazquez.

“I’m torn up,” said Samuel Maldonado, the girl’s father. “I don’t know how I’m standing.”

On the way to school, she reportedly told her siblings, “I’ll catch you guys later. I’m going to stop at the store, it’s only two blocks away.”

That’s when Maldonado believes his daughter met up with the mystery man. Vazquez left her cell phone at home due to the school district’s ban on cellphone use in the classroom.

Maldonado said his daughter is a straight-A student and a cross-country and track star. She does not have a boyfriend and there is no reason to believe she would run away from home.

“She wouldn’t be away from home,” Maldonado said. “She has never been away from home in 16 years. Why now? And why not even a text or a call?”

He also said he received an alarming late-night call several days after the girl’s disappearance.

“I got a terrible phone call and the voice, the man’s voice, said, ‘I have your daughter,’ then they hung up,” he recalled. “I was just destroyed.”

He tried calling the number back but wasn’t able to reach anyone. He immediately notified the authorities.

Detectives at LASD’s Century Sheriff’s Station are investigating the case but so far, have not obtained any leads.

“Please help,” Maldonado asked of the public. “We are all human and we all have families and children. Please keep an eye out. We’re going to get her home with your help.”

Vazquez is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs around 120-130 pounds. She has brown eyes and black hair.

Anyone who has seen the missing girl or knows of her whereabouts is asked to call LASD’s Century Sheriff’s Station at 323-568-4800.

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