An 8-year-old girl whose father had not heard from her in months was found safe in Lafayette, Louisiana, and reunited with his father, Homestead police said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an alert for Liah Meza on Friday afternoon after her father said he had not seen or heard from his daughter since June 12, despite having a 50/50 custody agreement.
The missing child alert was canceled Friday and police thanked the media, public and community “for assisting with Liah’s safe return.”
Christian Meza, the girl’s father, said he felt he had no choice but to report the situation to Miami-Dade police after multiple attempts to contact Liah’s mother went unanswered.
“It breaks my heart, honestly, I don’t spend a moment away from her when she’s with me,” he said.
Meza asked for help finding her daughter, who was believed to be with her mother, Yailen Roche, 38, and the mother’s boyfriend, Geovany Maresma-Burcet, 38.
“He’s been gone for too long,” Christian Meza said. “I don’t understand what’s going on. He’s completely disappeared, there’s no response on the phone, on text messages, on WhatsApp, on anything.”
Authorities said the girl, along with Roche and Maresma-Burcet, were traveling in the Lafayette, Louisiana, area in a white 2021 Honda Pilot.
Further details about how Liah was found or whether she was with her mother were not immediately released.
“To have her completely taken away from me like that, without even knowing if she’s in the state… it just breaks me,” Christian Meza said. “I know she’s been asking for me, I know she cries at night or during the days asking for me, so please bring her back.”
