Hunter Finds Missing St. Peter Girl Alive In River

ST. PETER, Minn. (WCCO) -- The search for a missing 12-year-old developmentally disabled girl has a happy ending Saturday evening.

Mya Ann Arriage has been found.

She went missing early Friday morning from her home in north St. Peter.

Nearly 36 hours later, just before 3 Saturday afternoon, a hunter found the girl alive, in the Minnesota River.

Early Friday morning, before 4, Arriage slipped away from the new home her family moved into two days prior.

A driver reported seeing her on the Highway 99 bridge. She was wearing pajamas and no shoes. That driver immediately contacted police.

"Yesterday we began searching at about 4 a.m.," said St. Peter Police Chief Matthew Peters.

Law enforcement searched by land, by air and by boat for the missing child all day Friday.

"Today we took a little different strategy since we had been through all these areas a few times and we brought in professional K-9 handlers first thing this morning at first light. They went out to look for her and track scent and they have different kind of dogs," Peters said.

Search teams spread out. Boats searched the river while K-9s and their handlers focused on the wooded shoreline.

Family said Arriage is attracted to the water and bright lights.

Peters says surveillance cameras posted on a building captured images of Arriage walking off of the Highway 99 bridge, walking toward the river.

"We're not getting any good K-9 hits this morning, we're going to keep at that this afternoon until dark. We are going to continue with our boats," Peters said.

Peters says it was a hunter, walking near the river, 4 miles north of where the search was, who found Arriage.

She was in the water, cold and conscious.

Boats were there within minutes to get her out, and airlifted to the hospital.

Peters says it's a mystery how Arriage made it that far away from her home.

Right now he says family is rejoicing and thankful for all the help.