Missing 9-year-old girl in Minneapolis found safe

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - UPDATE: (8:15 p.m. Sunday) Keya has been located and returned home safe to her mother.

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Since early Sunday morning, Minneapolis police had been searching for a 9-year-old girl named Keya.

Her mother, Athena McKissick, last saw Keya Bell McKissick Saturday afternoon before she went to a trusted friend's house, but it turns out that friend never saw her either. At least that’s what she says now.

“[Keya] always comes home,” mom cried. “She's never run away. This ain't no runaway, she is missing!”

McKissick is beside herself, as any loving mother would be. It’s been more than an entire day since she’s seen her daughter Keya.

“I'm speechless, I've cried, I prayed, I'm trying to stay calm,” she told Fox 9. 

“My daughter at around 12:30 p.m. Saturday called her friend, asked her if she could come over and she said, ‘Mom I'm going to my friend's house,’ I said ‘okay.’ ”

That's the last McKissick saw of Keya, near 23rd Avenue North and North 4th Street walking towards her friend's home. 

Keya's friend’s house is only a block and a half away on North Aldridge Avenue.

McKissick said Keya has spent weekends, holidays and school breaks over at her friend’s house the last year.

 “I called the friend at 2 p.m. while I was on my way to work to make sure she made it there, the little girl said, ‘yes, she's there.’ ”

Saturday night confusion over Keya's whereabouts surfaced.

“My oldest got a phone call [from Keya’s friend] at 10:30 p.m. asking if Keya got home and my oldest said, ‘No, she's supposed to be with you!’ ” McKissick said.

Keya’s location got hazier when her friend texted back and said she was upstairs sleeping at her grandma’s house.

“Then, a little after midnight I received another text that she went to her grandma's house to pick her up and that Keya was not there,” McKissick said. “I said ‘what do you mean my baby's not there, where's my daughter?!’ She said, ‘I don't know.’ ”

Later, Keya’s friend, who's a minor, told Fox 9 off camera that she never saw Keya on Saturday, at all.

“I know them well enough to trust them with my child. So it's just mind blowing that she just left and nobody knows where she's at. I'm scared to death!” McKissick exclaimed. “There’s too many crazy people, there’s too many predators, I just want my baby to come home safe.”

Keya is about 4’5” tall and she weighs around 100 lbs. She was wearing a purple jacket over a purple tank top, blue shorts, and high top sneakers strung with hot pink laces. Keya was also carrying an overnight bag.