Girl Police Say Ran Away After Letting Out Cat Found Safe
— -- A missing Washington teen who hadn't been seen since Thanksgiving was found safe this morning, her family and police said.
According to police, Jackie Doucette, 15, ran away from her home and went missing on Nov. 27 after she let the family cat out of the house.
Doucette was found walking up to her house in Cheney at around 8:30 a.m. holding a cat, ABC affiliate KXLY-TV in Spokane reported.
"Jackie is safe and with the authorities," her mother, Liz Doucette, told KXLY-TV. She said that was all she could say.
Cheney Police Sgt. Rick Beghtol told KXLY-TV that police were interviewing the girl.
Though Doucette police do not often become involved in runaway cases, police had said that Doucette had mental issues that could have made her particularly vulnerable and that without her medication, Doucette's decision-making ability could be impacted.
"Without the medication she can make poor choices," Chief John Hensley, of the Cheney Police Department told ABC News.
Hensley said Doucette had gone missing before but never for this long, and in the past had always been in touch with a close friend when she disappeared.
"But the friend hadn't been in touch with her since Friday [before she left home]," Hensley said.
Doucette's family created a Facebook page in the hopes of finding the teen.
