Missing 4-year-old West Virginia girl found safe in Texas, father arrested

Authorities found Gracelynn June Scritchfield, 4, and arrested her biological father, 26-year-old Arlie Edward Hetrick III, in Pecos, Texas, on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019, according to multiple reports.

Credit: NCMEC

Credit: NCMEC

Authorities found Gracelynn June Scritchfield, 4, and arrested her biological father, 26-year-old Arlie Edward Hetrick III, in Pecos, Texas, on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019, according to multiple reports.

Authorities have found a 4-year-old girl safe in Texas weeks after she was reported missing out of Fairmont, West Virginia, according to multiple reports.

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Gracelynn June Scritchfield was reported missing July 6 and believed to be in extreme danger. According to an Amber Alert released after her disappearance, authorities believed she was likely abducted by her biological father, identified as Arlie "Trey" Edward Hetrick III.

West Virginia State Police announced Thursday in a social media post that Gracelynn had been found safe.

"We are pleased to announce the child appears to be in good health and has been turned over to child protective services," U.S. Marshal Chief Deputy Alex Neville said, according to West Virginia MetroNews.

Authorities found Gracelynn in Pecos, Texas, according to a news release issued Thursday by the U.S. Marshals Service and obtained by MetroNews. Authorities found Gracelynn and Hetrick while following a lead provided by U.S. marshals investigators in Clarksburg, West Virginia, WVNews.com reported.

Marshals said Hetrick was arrested on unspecified West Virginia and federal warrants, according to WVNews.com.

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