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Missing Lakeland Girl Found Safe

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By BILLY TOWNSEND, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 3, 2007

LAKELAND - An 11-year-old Lakeland girl who had been missing for nearly 20 hours was found unharmed Friday afternoon, the Polk County Sheriff's Office reported.

Latara Lavigne was at the sheriff's investigative headquarters in Bartow waiting to be picked up by her family, the sheriff's office said.

She had been missing since about 6:30 p.m. Thursday and was found at a house in Lakeland about 2:15 p.m..

Latara had been visiting her grandmother, Ruth Lavigne, who lives next door at 1947 W. Highland St., according to sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood. She left, telling her grandmother she would "be right back," and never returned, Wood said.

The residence is a duplex, and Latara lives in the same building at 1945 W. Highland. She frequently visits her grandmother.

"I slept with my Bible last night, praying to God to show me a sign that she's all right," said Cherie Lavigne, Latara's mother, as she met with media outside her home about midday.

Latara, whom family call Tara, is a good student with no history of running away or disappearing, her mother said.

Sheriff's detectives submitted the disappearance to state authorities as a possible Amber Alert but were turned down because there was no suspect in the case and no clear evidence the girl was in danger, said W.J. Martin, the sheriff's chief of investigations.
Deputies searched the area around Latara's home Thursday night but found no trace of her.

News Channel 8 reporter Jennifer Leigh contributed to this report. Reporter Billy Townsend can be reached at (863) 284-1409 or wtownsend@tampatrib.com.

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