A missing child from Texas has been found safe in an undisclosed foreign country after disappearing in July earlier this year.
Eleven-year-old Sophie Long was at the center of child sex abuse claims before US authorities found her with her father, Michael Long, who they took into police custody.
Sophie was last seen on July 12 in Seguin, Texas. She was the subject of a custody battle between her father, her mother Kelly Long, and her aunt.
Long, 43, alleged that his daughter was being sexually abused by his ex-wife's new fiancé. A video of Sophie screaming and refusing to go home because she felt uncomfortable around him went viral last year and saw her become the center of 'Stand with Sophie', a Facebook campaign to help her.
Meanwhile, Sophie's mother has accused her ex-husband of hiding their daughter and refusing to hand her over in infringement of their custody ruling.
Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner announced in a statement on Saturday, December 11, that Sophie had been found.
"Sophie Long has been located in a foreign country and is in protective custody. Arrangements are being made for her safe return to her family in the United States," he said.
"Michael Long is in custody on a felony warrant for Interference with Child Custody. The United States government is working on the extradition of Long back to Collin County, Texas."
"Many months of determined work by my deputies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the US Marshals paid off this morning.
"We are so happy Sophie is safe," he added.
Although it has not been disclosed where Sophie was found, authorities have previously said that her father may have been traveling towards Mexico or Argentina with her, Independent reports.
After their 2015 divorce, Sophie's parents were granted 50/50 custody of her and her two brothers. However, after increasingly erratic behavior from her father, Sophie's mother was later awarded full custody.
When his ex-wife took the children to live over 200 miles from him, Long started the Stand with Sophie campaign to raise awareness about their custody case, The Sun reports.
None of his allegations of sexual abuse against Kelly Long's fiance have been substantiated.
