VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu teenager living in the US, Tanvi Marupally, who had gone missing for more than 75 days, was found safe in Florida, more than 1,600 km from her home in Arkansas. Police officers said she had been reunited with her family.
The 15-year-old had run away from her home on January 17 because of the fear of her family being forced to leave the US if her father lost his job amid mass lay-offs. The police were able to locate Tanvi after an alert from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Thursday.
Officials had found her in a local library in Tampa, Florida, hunting for jobs that she could do.
“Her love for the library is ultimately what led to her discovery,” said William Tapley, Conway’s police chief, in a press conference. A video of the press meet was uploaded online.
In fact, the teenager’s ability to survive on her own for such a long period, walking, taking trains and living in homeless shelters, impressed local authorities. Jeremy Hammons, US deputy marshal, said Tanvi was a very resourceful child, who was probably good out in the woods. He was surprised that a 15-year-old girl read books, and went to the library.
“She is a ‘Little Rambo’, she was able to survive, and she made a long trek very safely,” he said.
Her family had offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who helped bring her home.
Her father, Pavan Marupally, who works in a tech company, faced the possibility of losing his job due to the ongoing lay-offs in the technology sector.
However, in February in a video shot by him and his wife, he said he was no longer at risk of losing his job.
“Please come back, we are missing you every second. Even in India, your grandparents and uncle are worrying about you. Family, friends, and our community are looking for you,” Tanvi’s mother Sridevi had said in the video. Sridevi, in fact, had lost her job and came to India in November 2022. She returned in January on a dependent visa.
“Tanvi left school on January 17. However, instead of getting on the bus, she continued to walk down Davis Street north into the northern part of town. Until Thursday, that is all the information that we had about the disappearance of Tanvi.
“Today (Thursday), we know that she continued walking north to railroad tracks, once she reached, she continued to walk down them for several miles through the night. She continued walking the next day until she found a train which she could board. That train eventually made its way to Kansas City. After several days, she arrived in Kansas City on January 22, she found a homeless shelter. She checked into the shelter with a false identity and stayed there for almost two months”, Tapley added.
Later, she moved to Tampa in Florida catching a bus from Kansas. When she arrived in Tampa, she found an abandoned building and began to reside there. She found a local library, where she was researching for jobs that she could take. Fortunately, a citizen of Tampa noticed Tanvi, shot her photo and sent it to the National Center of Missing and Exploited children. Conway police, on getting information, went to the library to check the video footage. Luckily, Tanvi returned to the library. She was taken into protective custody, transported to the Tampa police department where she was interviewed. Conway police within hours reunited Tanvi with her family.
The 15-year-old had run away from her home on January 17 because of the fear of her family being forced to leave the US if her father lost his job amid mass lay-offs. The police were able to locate Tanvi after an alert from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Thursday.
Officials had found her in a local library in Tampa, Florida, hunting for jobs that she could do.
“Her love for the library is ultimately what led to her discovery,” said William Tapley, Conway’s police chief, in a press conference. A video of the press meet was uploaded online.
In fact, the teenager’s ability to survive on her own for such a long period, walking, taking trains and living in homeless shelters, impressed local authorities. Jeremy Hammons, US deputy marshal, said Tanvi was a very resourceful child, who was probably good out in the woods. He was surprised that a 15-year-old girl read books, and went to the library.
“She is a ‘Little Rambo’, she was able to survive, and she made a long trek very safely,” he said.
Her family had offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who helped bring her home.
Her father, Pavan Marupally, who works in a tech company, faced the possibility of losing his job due to the ongoing lay-offs in the technology sector.
However, in February in a video shot by him and his wife, he said he was no longer at risk of losing his job.
“Please come back, we are missing you every second. Even in India, your grandparents and uncle are worrying about you. Family, friends, and our community are looking for you,” Tanvi’s mother Sridevi had said in the video. Sridevi, in fact, had lost her job and came to India in November 2022. She returned in January on a dependent visa.
“Tanvi left school on January 17. However, instead of getting on the bus, she continued to walk down Davis Street north into the northern part of town. Until Thursday, that is all the information that we had about the disappearance of Tanvi.
“Today (Thursday), we know that she continued walking north to railroad tracks, once she reached, she continued to walk down them for several miles through the night. She continued walking the next day until she found a train which she could board. That train eventually made its way to Kansas City. After several days, she arrived in Kansas City on January 22, she found a homeless shelter. She checked into the shelter with a false identity and stayed there for almost two months”, Tapley added.
Later, she moved to Tampa in Florida catching a bus from Kansas. When she arrived in Tampa, she found an abandoned building and began to reside there. She found a local library, where she was researching for jobs that she could take. Fortunately, a citizen of Tampa noticed Tanvi, shot her photo and sent it to the National Center of Missing and Exploited children. Conway police, on getting information, went to the library to check the video footage. Luckily, Tanvi returned to the library. She was taken into protective custody, transported to the Tampa police department where she was interviewed. Conway police within hours reunited Tanvi with her family.