UPDATE: IMPD say missing toddler 'cared for all day' by woman who found her at 4 a.m.
Update: This article was updated with more information from police on July 8, 2022.
A 2-year-old girl who went missing early Thursday from an east side Indianapolis home was safely reunited with her family several hours later Thursday evening.
Jailee Latson was last seen around 4 a.m. near the 800 block of North Rural Street before she was found around 8:30 p.m., according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
The toddler was returned home by a woman who initially found her outside around 4 a.m. in the 600 block of North Rural Street, police said Friday.
Investigators interviewed the woman and believe Latson was cared for all day long by her, according to police.
Shortly before Latson returned home, IMPD officer William Young said the FBI and Marion County Sheriff's Office were involved in the search. He said investigators were preparing to go door-to-door in the area she went missing to look for the toddler.
"It's a sigh of relief," Young said after the toddler was found.
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Children could be seen on the family's front porch and lawn, who appeared to be celebrating, shortly before police announced the toddler's return.
Latson was "dropped off" by someone near her family's home and a family member made contact with her, Young said.
"The investigation is still ongoing," Young said. "We are trying to piece together where she was, who she was with. All of those things will come out as the investigation progresses."
Young thanked the community for information that was provided to investigators on the missing toddler
"I took a look at her and she seems to be fine," Young said of Latson's condition. "Of course, we always do our due diligence by having IEMS come out and take a good look at her to make sure she's okay."
About two hours before Latson was found, police released video on social media in connection with her disappearance.
Investigators asked for the community's help in identifying a woman at the end of a driveway in the video, who appears to be holding a small child.
IMPD worked with the Indiana State Police and a statewide Silver Alert was issued for Latson before she was found. Police used a drone and missing persons K-9 to assist in the search.
Indy residents joined in the search for missing toddler
Some residents took it upon themselves to search for the toddler on their own before she was reunited with family.
Ayanna Person, an Indianapolis resident her whole life, said she saw the news of the missing toddler and couldn't sit at home. She walked up and down North Rural Street and in nearby alleys looking for the toddler.
Person occasionally yelled out, "Jailee" and the toddler's nickname "Jellybean" and informed other residents in the area of the disappearance.
Other residents joined, checking backyards, garages and abandoned buildings in the area for the toddler. Some pointed investigators to homes they knew had surveillance cameras installed.
The toddler's family was ecstatic when she was returned home, Young said.
"It kind of melts your heart and makes it all worth it in the end," Young said. "We get to go home peacefully tonight."
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IMPD: 2-year-old who went missing Jailee Latson found safe
