UPDATE: The search for Kristian Faith Ward, an 18-year-old model and mother from Phoenix, Ariz., who has been missing since late last month has ended with the young woman's safe recovery, according to her father.
"We are pleased to know that she is alive and thank the Phoenix police department for their help in finding our daughter," Ward's father, Stephen Ward, told The Huffington Post.
He added: "This is a matter of family privacy and we thank you for all of your concern and prayers."
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Original Article:
Kristian Ward, also known as Kristian Faith Stout, was last seen at the Paradise Valley Mall in Phoenix at about 1 p.m. on May 27. What happened to her after she left the mall remains a mystery, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
"She went to pick up her check from work and has not been seen or heard from since," Sgt. Trent Crump told The Huffington Post.
Ward, who lives at home with her parents and her 2-year-old son, does not have a vehicle and was alone at the time of her disappearance. She had a cellphone with her, but attempts to reach her via the phone have been unsuccessful. Additional attempts to "ping" the phone -- that is, to use satellites to trace her route and or current location -- have also failed, according to police.
"We were unable to locate it," Crump said.
Ward's Facebook wall is set to private, so non-friends cannot view it. Some personal information, however, such as her schooling, Santa Fe College, and current job -- as a model at Hollister Company -- are visible.
Her Facebook profile's "about Kristian" section reads in part: "I have a son ... he's everything to me! I don't have many friends because I trust very few. I like to get out and do things. Just enjoy life!"
Police said Ward's son is currently staying with his grandparents.
Asked if investigators suspect foul play in Ward’s disappearance, Crump said, "There are things that you look at -- she walked away from a 2-year-old and has never done that before and [she] did not take any belongings with her. So, there is great concern, but obviously we don't have any ... [proof of] an abduction or kidnapping."
Crump added: "We have no crime scene [but] the parents do feel something has gone wrong here."
Ward is described as a white female with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds. She has pierced ears, with an extra piercing in the top of her left ear. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the Phoenix Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (602) 534-2121 or (602) 262-6141.
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