Christina Plante was found 32 years after she disappeared from Star Valley, Arizona, and it’s now been revealed that she had allegedly been the subject of a “custody battle” and left with her mother at the time she went missing.
Just days after the Gila County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Plante, 44, had been found safe on Wednesday, April 1, police said that she has been living with her own family under a new name after she voluntarily left her home at the age of 13.
Former Gila County sheriff’s deputy Terry Hudgens told NBC News that Plante, who went by Tina, was the subject of a “custody battle” and wanted to live with her mom instead of her father.
13-year-old Plante then reportedly met up with her mother while heading to her stable to see her horse back in 1994. Hudgens claimed that the pair left Arizona on a flight.
Child Missing From Texas Found in Mexico After Being Kidnapped by Father
Hudgens went on to say that the mother-daughter duo might have even flown “out of the country.”
While Hudgens said that police found Plante safe in 1994, the sheriff’s office maintains her case was never officially resolved until recently.
“We’re still in the process of looking into what happened and as new information develops, we will be providing updates,” chief deputy James Lahti told NBC.
Gila Sheriff J. Adam Shepherd shared more insight into the case in an updated statement on Friday, April 3, explaining that Plante was first reported missing by an uncle.
Following the initial report, authorities traced a vehicle that was suspected to be involved in her disappearance to a nearby hotel. Deputies then came to believe that Plante “may have been taken by her non-custodial parent, her mother,” per the statement.
However, Shepherd said “that information could not be verified at the time.”
The sheriff said that Plante was only just located “through the use of current technology.” Police said that she is “living within the United States,” though “she was not willing to cooperate with investigators regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.”
Captain Jamie Garrett told NewsNation on Thursday, April 2, that she was able to reach Plante by phone after authorities managed to track her down as an adult.
After Garrett admitted she was “dumbfounded” by the case, she continued, “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Okay, so you ran away.’ I told her … ‘You know, we were under the impression that somebody kidnapped you? It was deemed a criminal offense.’”
Neighbor Reveals Missing North Carolina Mom Lived a ‘Very Quiet’ Life
“I guess [Plante] wasn’t happy with where she was living and who she was living with, and she ran away.” Garrett said.
It’s not currently clear where or how Plante was found, though the sheriff’s office said she has asked for privacy.
“She said that was a long time ago, that was an old life,” Garrett said. “She’s in her adult life. She has her family now. That’s not something she even thinks about.”
The Gila County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment, while Plante and her relatives could not be reached for comment.
