FBI: 8-year-old WA girl missing since 2018 found in Mexico, safely returned home

SEATTLE - An eight-year-old Vancouver, Washington girl missing since Oct. 2018 has finally been brought back home, the FBI announced Wednesday.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that Aranza Lopez was found and safely recovered by authorities in Michoacán, Mexico, then escorted back to the States by FBI special agents.

According to FBI Seattle, Aranza was kidnaped by her biological mother on Oct. 25, 2018 from a shopping mall in Vancouver. Authorities issued a missing person alert, and eventually learned Aranza had been taken to Mexico.

"For more than four years, the FBI and our partners did not give up on Aranza," said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Seattle. "Our concern now will be supporting Aranza as she begins her reintegration into the U.S."

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Authorities are releasing no additional information to protect Aranza's privacy.