A pair of Houston area families are resting easier this New Year after two adults and a child were located safe and sound following a four-day disappearance that started on Christmas Day.
On Dec. 27, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) issued a statement asking for the public's help in locating 35-year-old Woodlands resident Amanda Jindra, her 5-year-old daughter Haley Vilven and her boyfriend Atorian Buckner-Brown, 20.
While there were no immediate signs of foul play, Jindra's parents nervously told reporters that their daughter would never leave without one of her children.
Last Thursday, KPRC reported that Amanda Jindra — along with her boyfriend, daughter and 9-year-old son — had a holiday meal with some of her family members on Christmas in southern Montgomery County. The couple planned to take the children to the park, but dropped off Jindra's son with a family friend instead. By 9 p.m. that evening, the remaining three were gone.
While there were no immediate signs of foul play, Jindra's parents nervously told reporters that their daughter would never leave without one of her children and that the disappearance was very much out of character.
Jonathan Jindra, the missing woman's brother and a well-known artist in Houston, helped to spread word of the search on social media along with Burnett Specialists, a placement firm with whom Amanda Jindra has worked as a recruiter since 2011.
"None of us expected anything like this," Jonathan Jindra told CultureMap on Friday. "Like anyone, Amanda has had her ups and downs, but she always tried to remain in good spirits. This seems so random and comes as a total surprise."
Found safe
According to Sherry McKinney of Texas EquuSearch — the all-volunteer recovery team that lead the search effort — the couple made contact with family members early Saturday afternoon from a location near Shreveport, La.
"We suspended the search immediately and, by Monday, we confirmed that they were safe with their families," McKinney told CultureMap.
"EquuSearch runs entirely on donations and volunteers, and we want to thanks the Woodlands community for the incredible support last week. We're all very glad to hear that Amanda, her daughter and Atorian are all OK."
No other details were immediately forthcoming about the disappearance.
