Girl, 4, Allegedly Abducted by Family Friend Found Safe

Authorities say a 4-year-old central Florida girl has been recovered in Tennessee and that the man who took her is in custody, the AP reports. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said on its Twitter page Monday afternoon that Rebecca Lewis and 31-year-old West Wild Hogs were located in Memphis. Authorities didn't immediately release specifics about how the two were located or what charges Hogs might face. Polk County, Florida, sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference earlier Monday that Hogs took Rebecca Lewis Saturday. They had been spotted on a surveillance video footage at a convenience store in Nashville. Hogs is a friend of Rebecca's family but had not seen them in more than two years. He was asked to leave the family's home over two years ago after pulling a gun on the family.

CNN has background on the bizarre case: On Oct. 3, Hogs told his wife he had a surprise for her, and they drove from their home in Alabama to Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Charlotte, North Carolina, Tennessee, and ultimately Georgia, where they arrived on Oct. 6. His wife left at that point, calling family members to pick her up and return her home. The following day, Hogs arrived at his grandmother's home in Florida, and asked her about Rebecca's family. The following morning, Saturday, Rebecca's 16-year-old sister discovered she was missing. It's not clear how Hogs allegedly abducted Rebecca, but it happened before 9:30am and he took her to a nearby McDonald's for breakfast. They were next spotted Saturday night at a Georgia gas station and then Sunday night in Tennessee. A ranger encountered the pair at a state park in Tennessee Sunday night, but since an Amber Alert had not yet been issued in that state, he didn't realize until it was too late that the girl had been abducted. (More crime stories.)