Missing teen found

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  • A teenager who went missing in May from Stephens County was located in Illinois.
    A teenager who went missing in May from Stephens County was located in Illinois.
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    A Stephens County teenager who went missing in May has been found.
    Sheriff Randy Shirley said this week that Graci Parks was located in Belleville, Ill.
    "The May 5th runaway juvenile from a residence on Bend and Hickory Road has been located in Belleville, Ill., safe and in good health," Shirley said on Wednesday.
    Belleville is a city of some 44,000 residents in southern Illinois.
    Shirley said Parks was in the custody of the Belleville Police Department and waiting to be sent back to Georgia.
    "Local authorities will interview that 15-year-old when she is safely back in Georgia," Shirley said.
    "She will be interviewed by Stephens County investigators as soon as she is back in the custody of her grandmother," Shirley said.
    Shirley said there is evidence of an acquaintance that picked Parks up.
    "Investigators are combing through electronic equipment to find more information on the (acquaintance)," Shirley said.
    He  added that evidence from Park’s residence in Toccoa is being analyzed at the GBI crime lab.
    The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children joined the Stephens County Sheriff's Office in the search for Parks.