Tallassee Teen Found Safe, ALEA Cancels Alert

A Tallassee teen who went missing for more than two weeks has been found safe. Wednesday afternoon, the Alabama Law Enforcement cancelled the alert for Kiara Nicole Neal. Authorities say she was found walking near a house in Brewton.

Neal was last seen leaving her after school program on March 9th. Her family says she never came home that night. The family says Neal has runaway from home before but never for this length of time. When they feared her life to be in danger, they contacted authorities who issued a Missing Child Alert.

“When you have a child that’s been missing for this long period of time, it not only affects the family, but it affects the entire body of the community,” says Tallassee Police Chief Jimmy Rodgers.

Security footage showed Neal getting into a gold van. The driver of that van has been arrested and identified as Willie Joe Thomas, III of Montgomery. He was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  As of Tuesday evening, authorities were also looking for a second man for questioning who was seen with Neal on March 9 at the Wal-Mart on Ann Street.

More information to come on this developing story