Amber Alert over, missing girl walks through front door

Bradenton, Florida -- An Amber Alert issued for a 12-year-old Bradenton girl was called off Sunday afternoon after she walked through her family's front door 20 minutes after calling to say she was OK.

Detectives say they've caught the man who drove away with her on Saturday morning and was then with her for around 30 hours. The Manatee County Sheriff's Office says charges are pending.

A witness saw the girl get into a Jeep Cherokee Saturday morning in the area of Manatee Avenue West and 76th Street not long after she ran away from the family home in West Bradenton.

"All she was wearing was a gray sports bra, blue jeans and no shoes. I thought she'd be back soon," said Carol Claar, the girl's grandmother.

The girl did not return home for another 30 hours.

With urging from Manatee County detectives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an Amber Alert for the girl on Sunday morning.

That afternoon, her family's phone rang.

"She called on the telephone, a payphone and said she was fine... said she had a shower, clean clothes and she was okay," said her grandfather, Gary Claar.

Twenty minutes later, she walked through her family's front door.

Claar described the whirl of emotions that hit when he saw his granddaughter. "Tears, relief, joy. Just thankfulness. Just wanted to hug her and not let go."

Detectives drove the girl around the Bradenton area hoping to piece together what happened during that time.

"She thinks she was in some sort of apartment complex," said Dave Bristow, spokesman for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

The girl's mother told 10 Connects Sunday night that her daughter told her the man gave her a place to sleep, something to eat and even took her to the mall.

She says her daughter did not realize there was an Amber Alert out for her.

She explained that her daughter suffers from emotional issues.

She says she believes detectives were able to find the man with her daughter's help and descriptions given by a neighbor who saw him drop her off at a Wendy's near her home.

Bristow said the man spent the night being questioned at the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. We expect to learn Monday morning who he is and what charges he may face.

The girl's family told 10 Connects they're just glad to have her home.

"Love your children, hug them and kiss them," said Claar. "When they're gone, it's terrifying."

10 Connects is not naming the 12-year-old because the Amber Alert has been cancelled.