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Found After 40 Years: Missing Girl Reunited with Father
11 Dec
Summary
- A 3-year-old girl vanished in 1983 and was found alive in Florida last year.
- A phone tip to Crime Stoppers led investigators to the missing woman.
- Her mother, who abducted her, was arrested on custodial interference charges.
After more than 40 years, a Kentucky family has been reunited with a daughter and sister who vanished in 1983. Michelle Marie Newton, then 3 years old, disappeared from her home with her non-custodial mother, Debra. Her father, Joe Newton, never stopped searching and was finally able to reconnect with Michelle last month thanks to a tip to Florida Crime Stoppers.
The case, long considered a cold case, gained momentum last year when an anonymous tip led investigators to Michelle. She was reportedly informed by police that she was a missing person. This discovery followed Michelle's accidental removal from national missing children databases, making the reunion even more remarkable.
Debra Newton, now 66, was located and arrested for felony custodial interference, with no statute of limitations in Florida. She has been extradited to Kentucky for legal proceedings. While Michelle adjusts to her new reality, her focus is on healing and encouraging apologies, rather than assigning blame, as her family navigates this unexpected resolution.
