Missing 16-Year-Old Evansville Girl Aaliyah Bowen Found in Illinois

A 16-year-old Evansville girl who went missing from her home near St. Phillip on Wednesday, was found at Walmart in Harrisburg, Illinois Friday evening thanks to the efforts of friends, family, and total strangers who shared her family's updates on Facebook.

Aaliyah Bowen's mother, Katherine Wynn, first reported her daughter missing on Wednesday after waking up to find her daughter no longer in the family's home. After reaching out to friends and family to see if they knew where she was, Katherine took to Facebook, sharing photos of her daughter while asking the public to keep an eye out for her.

The photos went viral, leading to reports on Friday afternoon that Aaliyah was spotted near Omaha, Illinois, roughly an hour west of Evansville. A few hours later, the family was informed through Facebook she was spotted again in Harrisburg, approximately 20 miles southwest of Omaha.

Finally, on Friday evening just before 6:30 p.m., Katherine posted an update stating Aaliyah had been spotted at Walmart by someone who saw her photos on Facebook. She contacted the store manager who in turn alerted local police. The responding officers kept watch over Aaliyah until her family arrived.

While it's still unclear why Aaliyah seemingly willingly left her home in the first place, we're happy to see the story ended on a positive note.