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Missing Sumter 11-year-old girl found safe in woods

Jozanna was last seen Tuesday evening, March 30, in a neighborhood near Shaw Air Force Base.

SUMTER, S.C. — The Sumter County Sheriff's Office says an 11-year-old missing girl has been found safe in an area not far from her home.

Officers say Jozanna Lynn Quezada, 11, was located Wednesday afternoon near a wooded area off Sans Souci Road, about a quarter mile from her home. 

EMS was called on the scene to check her for injuries, and she was taken to be interviewed by investigators. Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said at a news conference shortly after her discovery that he'd personally spoken to her and that she seemed fine, and at one point smiled and laughed. 

He said it's unclear if she was hiding or had gotten lost. 

Quezada was last seen at the corner of Edgehill Road and Raccoon Road at about 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30. She left her home on Sans Souci Road at about 5:30 p.m. 

The neighborhood borders Shaw Air Force Base just outside of Sumter.

The Sheriff's Office was joined by the FBI and SLED in the search for her and multiple teams of officers with K-9 units were deployed to search the area around Sans Souci, Raccoon, and Edgehill roads.

Dennis said they were concerned because there was always the possibility she could have been abducted by a random person or a sex trafficker. 

"We felt we needed to locate her as soon as possible if she was in the area," he said. 

Officials had no evidence of foul play during the search. Jozanna reportedly walked away from her home around 5:35 p.m. on Tuesday after an argument with a sibling, although the sheriff said they were going to question her about her motive. She was officially reported missing at 6:45 p.m. 

Dennis said between 60 to 70 officers joined the search, including agents and officers from  Sumter Police Department, the FBI, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. There were also many community members who were volunteering to help. "We would not have located her without all these agencies working together," he said. 

Dennis said the criteria was not met to issue an Amber Alert but he said everything was in place if was necessary. 

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