MASHPEE, MASS. (WHDH) - A 15-year-old girl from Masphee who was missing for days has been found safe, the Mashpee Public Schools announced Wednesday.
Aliyah Konton had been missing since Sunday. In a post on Facebook on Monday, the Mashpee Police Department warned she may be in danger.
The Mashpee Public Schools shared a new post on Facebook near 4 p.m. Wednesday saying Konton had been found.
“I couldn’t be more relieved. I’m so grateful to all of our first responders and all of the community that has gone out and helped to bring her home safely,” said Cathy Lewis, the vice chair of the Mashpee School Committee.
Konton had been the subject of an extensive search that continued into the day Wednesday, with family friends posting flyers around town and local officials displaying Konton’s picture in a missing-person message outside Mashpee High School.
While the search was still ongoing, Mashpee Police Chief Scott Carline in a statement said authorities had filed charges against a 13-year-old girl in connection with an alleged assault on Konton at Mashpee High School.
The alleged assault happened on May 25, according to police, just over one week before Konton disappeared. In their investigation, Carline said, police determined there was a video of the incident on Snapchat.
“It’s not an easy thing to know that things like that are happening to children in schools,” Lewis said. “You want to know what’s going on in your child’s school, you want to know your child is safe, you want to know that you are sending them to a place where they’re able to focus on learning and not worry about the other stuff.”
Authorities eventually consulted with the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office to determine which criminal charges would be filed.
Carline said the investigation in this case was ongoing as of Wednesday afternoon, adding “it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this portion of the investigation until this aspect of the investigation has been completed.”
“We realize this series of events have caused great concern and attention from the public and we continue to deploy all available resources to safely bring this case to a successful resolution within the parameters of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts juvenile laws,” Carline said.
At a Mashpee School Committee meeting Wednesday evening, the superintendent said she had no comment. However, the committee vowed to discuss bullying at their next meeting.
This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.
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