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NW Harris County father confirms missing 16-year-old daughter found in New York by Homeland Security

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – KPRC 2 is learning more about a missing teenager from Harris County after her father tells us she was found in New York.

PREVIOUS: NW Harris County father searching for missing 16-year-old daughter believed to be in NYC

Avery Baker, 16, was last seen at her father, Anthony Baker’s home on Thursday, August 15.

“I was angry at first but it turned into fear and panic pretty quickly,” Mr. Baker said

He told KPRC 2 reporter Bill Barajas on Monday that he believed his daughter might have gone to New York City to visit a man she met online after family and friends shared a screenshot of her Delta airline ticket from IAH to NYC’s LaGuardia airport.

“We were able to contact the airline and they did confirm that she got on the plane,” Baker said. “I just found out that it’s a thing, that between 15 and 18 you don’t really need an ID or a parent or a consent or something like that, it kind of blows my mind.”

Baker said he also discovered pictures of the man she is believed to be with but doesn’t know his name, age or exact location. However, on Tuesday morning, Mr. Baker confirmed to KPRC 2 Assignment Editor Millie Quintanilla that Avery was found.

He added that officials with Homeland Security went to the unidentified man’s house in Manhattan, New York, and found both of them. His daughter will be brought back by Homeland Security and should arrive in Harris County sometime Tuesday.

No additional details have been shared, as of this writing, but KPRC 2 will continue to make updates to this story as more information becomes available.

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About the Authors

Reporter, proud Houstonian, U of H alumni, and lover of all the hometown sport teams.

Historian, educator, writer, expert on "The Simpsons," amateur photographer, essayist, film & tv reviewer and race/religious identity scholar. Joined KPRC 2 in Spring 2024 but has been featured in various online newspapers and in the Journal of South Texas' Fall 2019 issue.

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