A thirteen-year-old girl who went missing after attending a Camberwell party – 200 miles from her Yorkshire home – has been found safe and well.
Carmelle Hepi, who travelled alone from Barnsley to London, was found by officers this afternoon (Thursday, 29 June) at an address in south west London.
Over the course of their enquiries, which involved 50 investigators, police arrested four men in connection with the investigation. One remains in custody while the others have been bailed.
Supt Gabriel Cameron, from South West Command, said: “We are delighted that Carmelle has been found safe and well and will soon be reunited with her family.
“The scale of this operation reflects our serious concerns about her welfare.
“This is an example of how when the Met works as a team and with others we can achieve a great result.”
Carmelle’s family reported her missing early on Sunday, June 25. Detectives established that she’d travelled to London Kings Cross St Pancras via Sheffield, arriving at 6.09pm on Saturday, June 24.
That evening, she visited a party on Watling Street, just south of Burgess Park, with a small group of teenagers at 10pm.
Carmelle left an hour later at 11pm with a group of people in a car.
It is believed that she later travelled to Croydon, Lewisham and Purfleet in Essex.
The Met said it worked closely with South Yorkshire Police to scour hours of CCTV and follow numerous leads during its investigation.