‘I had to save myself.’ Teen missing for 19 months is found safe, Kentucky cops say
A teenage girl missing since May 2021 has been found safe and reunited with her family, according to Kentucky police.
Kamaria Johnson was 16 when she went missing on May 25, 2021, the Radcliff Police Department said. She had disappeared following a fight with her dad at his Radcliff home, The News-Enterprise reported.
Police said a man picked up Johnson along a highway and dropped her off at a gas station in neighboring Meade County, WHAS reported. The gas station was her last known appearance
“She just went off the map, went off the radar,” Lt. Brian Davis with the Radcliff Police Department told WHAS a year after Johnson disappeared.
Radcliff police announced on Saturday, Dec. 3, that Johnson was located and is no longer considered to be a missing person.
In an exclusive interview with WDRB, Johnson said she had fled to Memphis to get away from her father, who she claimed was physically abusing her.
“I had to save myself,” she said. “And I feel really guilty about it, but I just couldn’t do it and it was just a lot to deal with, and no one was listening to me.”
Now 18, Johnson said she recently contacted her mother, who picked her up in Memphis. She told WDRB reuniting with her family is what she wanted for Christmas.
Criminal charges are not currently expected, WHAS reported.
Radcliff is about 40 miles south of Louisville.
