Orlando man denied reunion with missing autistic daughter found out of state

Sarah Heinrich found Wednesday with man in Indianapolis

Sarah Heinrich

ORLANDO, Fla. – UPDATE: Jim Heinrich said Friday that his family has been reunited with Sarah and will be taking her to a teen crisis treatment center.

The family of a teenager missing for several days is working to reunite with her after police found her on Wednesday.

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Sarah Heinrich, 18, of Orlando, was on vacation with her family in Indianapolis to attend a family reunion when she vanished on Saturday.

Her father, Jim Heinrich, told News 6 his daughter has autism, and he said she wandered away from the hotel they were staying at with her camera.

On Wednesday, Indianapolis police told Heinrich they had found his daughter, and she was with a man.

He said police would not reunite them because she was 18 and a legal adult and able to make her own choices.

Heinrich said he is working to get an emergency guardianship order from a Seminole County judge to force Indianapolis police to bring their daughter to them.

As of Wednesday night, he said the order had been signed, but it was being processed in Seminole County.

He estimated it would be in the Police Department's hands by 8:30 a.m. CDT on Thursday.​


About the Author

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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