aaliyah ramirez

Indiana School Girl Disappears en Route to School 4 Months Ago, Found Safe in Florida

An Indiana teenager missing since the end of April has been found safe in Florida, reportedly in the custody of family members.

Aaliyah Ramirez, 14, was last seen leaving her home just after 8 a.m. on April 27, on her way to school, as CrimeOnline previously reported. She never made it to the bus stop.

Syracuse, Indiana, police said that Aaliyah, a dance student, was found in Florida but have not provided further information, 13News reported.

The teen’s mother, Ashli Aspy, reportedly said in a Facebook post that Aaliyah was found in a hotel room where she’d been kept by Liz (Elizabeth) Sands and Allissa Sands and that the two have been arrested, according to NBC News. Aspy had previously indicated the women were relatives.

Jail records in Palm Beach County show two women by those names were arrested Friday on out-of-state fugitive warrants. According to social media posts, Liz Sands is Aaliyah’s maternal grandmother — Aspy’s mother — and Allissa Sands is the teen’s aunt.

Aaliyah’s father, Anthony Ramirez, told Dateline NBC in May he believed his daughter was being held against her will. Ramirez and Aspy do not live together; Aaliyah was reportedly living with Ramirez when she disappeared.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast

[Featured Image: Aaliyah Ramirez/Indiana State Police]