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Arizona Girl Missing Since 1994 Found Alive, Sheriff Confirms Identity

The outcome shows how renewed cold‑case reviews powered by modern forensics can surface answers decades later.

Overview

  • Investigators in Gila County said Wednesday they located Christina Marie Plante alive and verified her identity.
  • Plante disappeared in May 1994 at age 13 from Star Valley near Payson after leaving home to walk to a nearby stable on Moonlight Street.
  • The Sheriff's Office kept the file active for years, entering her case in national missing‑children databases and circulating flyers across the country.
  • A newly formed Unsolved Cases Unit reexamined the cold file and, using modern forensic and data tools, developed leads that produced the breakthrough.
  • Officials declined to share where she was found or details of the past decades to protect her privacy, noting the case highlights the payoff of sustained cold‑case work.