A 15-year-old girl who went missing from the Model City area of Miami last week has been found safe her father made a desperate plea to find her.
In a statement Wednesday, Miami Police said the teenager, Nayeli Cruz, was recovered in good health and reunited with her family.
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WATCH HERELuis Cruz said he is a single father who learned of his daughter's disappearance on Friday morning, when he came back from working his overnight job for Amazon.
He said he took a nap and then went to check on Nayeli, who was not in her room.
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SIGN UP "There was no school, so I didn't worry about waking anybody up," he said. "I woke up at 12, 12:30, went to her room and realized she was gone. I tried to call her phone number, it went straight to the answering machine. So I just immediately called the police. I didn't even wait five minutes."
He said she left a note and took some bags, her phone and tablet with her.
"I haven't seen her since," Cruz said before she was found. "I do feel like she's being influenced by somebody. It's not just her decision."
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He said he was worried she was upset about a possible upcoming move to Connecticut and left, which is "uncharacteristic of her."
"She's left to the park for a couple hours, but she's never packed up any clothes and left," he said.
Cruz said Nayeli's note said she was upset that her father showed favoritism to her brother. He said he can't understand why, describing how he dotes on his daughter on Christmas and takes her and her friends to the Youth Faith and football games.
"I have to be a little tough on her at times, because she's always getting in trouble at school," he said. "But I always tell them, you're my favorite son and you're my favorite daughter, because they're my only ones."
Cruz had said he was concerned that she's with someone who didn't have "good intentions for her."
"Because her phone's been off three, four days. If you're going to take your phone and tablet, I would think that you would use it," Cruz said. "My fear is that someone maybe got her to leave... and took everything from her... As a parent, I do fear the worst."
Cruz said the experience has been "horrifying." He's pulled phone records from Comcast to provide them to police. He's checked with her friends and neighbors to see if there's been any sign of her.
"I can't sleep. I barely eat. I've been suffering. I try my best not to break down," he said. "I need to be mentally strong as much as I can. I had my nightmares last night."
The father has been raising Nayeli and her brother since their mother passed away when they were toddlers.
"I just want [her and whoever she may be with] to know that I love my daughter, I care for her, we all love her, we all miss her, we just want her to be back," he said. "I love her with all my heart and I miss her."
