BRIGHTON, N.Y. — Police say Zoe Houghtling, 14, was found 350 miles from away in an apartment in the Bronx 24 hours after she went missing from her home in Brighton.

What You Need To Know

  • Missing 14-year-old Brighton girl found safe 350 miles from home
  • Police say Zoe Houghtling was in communication with an individual via a chat app and through text messaging
  • Authorities say so far there have been no arrests

“We’ve got to look at exactly how she left Brighton,” said Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi. “But regardless of how she left Brighton, she’s a 14-year-old child going to New York City without her parents’ consent. That is concerning.”

Catholdi says the investigation is still in the early stages but released more information during a news conference on Tuesday.

They say Zoe had been in communication with an individual via a chat app and some text messaging, and they believe she left in a car Sunday at about 9:00 p.m.

Several police agencies coordinated, and ultimately the New York State Police Special Investigation Unit Cellular Analysis Response Team was able to track the phone police believe Zoe had been in communication with.

The phone was traced to New York City, through several boroughs and eventually to an apartment in the Bronx. That’s where two NYPD sergeants found Zoe safe at 9:30 p.m. Monday.

“I’ll say that these are the cases that scare you in law enforcement,” said New York State Police Major Miklos Scoczei. “When a young person is no longer in the area where she resides, and we believe that, that’s when I hit the button. It's time to go. I determined that our Special Investigation Unit get involved. The assets that they have, we have a CART team, which is Cellular Analysis Response Team. That team has the capabilities to use the cellphone imprints that we have and narrow down the search area to feet.”

Police say they are in the process of securing warrants to obtain information from social media accounts.

They also say nobody is in custody at this time.

“It is hard to truly quantify the prevalence of child sex trafficking as it comes in several forms and is often hidden successfully,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of Bivona Child Advocacy Center, Dr. Daniele Lyman-Torres. “That is why we must be more vigilant as a community around this issue. Often, children who face layered vulnerabilities are at higher risk, but all children and youth are at risk.”

She says it’s important parents are vigilant about being aware of any potential online predators.