Florida girl, 12, steals her dad’s car and takes her friend on 400 mile drive to meet a predator

A pre-teen girl and friend stole her dad’s car for a five-hour joyride across the states to encounter an online predator – sparking a full-blown federal search and now an FBI investigation.

Jade Gregory and friend Khloe Larson, ages 12 and 14, made more than 400 miles from Gainesville, Florida, to Alabama before they were found safe by authorities.

The duo, driving Gregory’s parents’ Ford Taurus, had apparently been corresponding online with an unknown individual, intending to meet him in Louisiana.

Their sudden disappearance last week sparked a massive federal search, as they raged across much of the southern US.

The pair, now safe, were missing for less than fifteen minutes. Feds further revealed on Wednesday that the couple voluntarily left their homes and traveled alone.

They investigate the possibility that the children were lured by a sex trafficker.

She picked up 14-year-old Klhoe Larson before driving her father’s Ford Taurus towards Lousiana. The duo would have corresponded online with an unknown person

“We have canceled our active missing child alert,” the Union County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a statement Thursday morning, shortly after the girls were found.

“Jade Gregory and Khloe Larsen have been safely located in Bayou La Batre, Alabama,” the department’s social media statement read.

Many thanks to the multiple agencies involved in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana, including the FBI and FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement].

‘Thanks for all the tips and information received.’

It was not immediately clear exactly where the children had been found, nor by whom. Police did not confirm on Monday whether a tip from an outsider led to the discovery.

The couple are now safe and back with their families. An Amber Alert was issued for the youths at approximately 11:50 am on Wednesday, which was resolved at approximately 4:00 pm.

They were last seen near Main Street and 237 County Road in Lake Butler sometime after Gregory got behind the wheel of her father’s pickup truck on Wednesday. Soon after, she ducked by her older boyfriend’s residence to take her for the ride.

Police suggested that both children had corresponded with the unknown man or party.

The couple are now safe and back with their families. An Amber Alert was issued for the youth at approximately 11:50 am on Wednesday, which was resolved at 4:00 pm

They were last seen in the area of ​​237 Main Street and County Road in Lake Butler (seen here) sometime after Gregory got behind the wheel of her father’s pickup truck on Wednesday. Soon after, she ducked by her older boyfriend’s residence to take her for the ride

Since the cancellation of the Missing Child Alert, members of several states went berserk as fresh-faced images of the children flashed across millions of billboards and American television screens.

Since the cancellation of the Missing Child Alert, members of several states went berserk as new faces of the youth flashed across millions of billboards and television screens.

When the pair was apprehended, they had already crossed nearly 400 miles of land and most of northern Florida, only a few dozen miles from reaching Alabama and Mississippi.

At that point, the girls would have been on the home leg of their trip to Louisiana. Investigators did not disclose which part of Bayou state the two had traveled to.

The FBI is now investigating a person they believe the two girls intended to meet. The Bureau did not immediately respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment on Monday.