Two days after Thanksgiving, a 17-year-old from Florida was reported missing. She was found in Syracuse thanks to police work in Plattsburgh. Det. Steve Dube was out of the office when we spoke with Plattsburgh City Police but if you ask his co-workers, he says he was just doing his job.

"I know that she-- to some degree-- left on her own but I absolutely believe that she was lied to and totally misled," mom Scarlet Frisina said.

Caitlyn Frisina, 17, fled her home in Fort White, Florida, with her 27-year-old soccer coach Rian Rodriguez. The reason is still unclear.

When Det. Steve Dube of Plattsburgh City Police heard about this case, he realized he had a closer connection and might be of some help.

"Just being an astute police officer and paying attention to all law enforcement broadcasts, he noticed that the girl was the daughter of a person he went to school with," Plattsburgh Police Lt. Levi Ritter said.

Immediately using his 20 years' worth of detective resources, Dube looked for ways to help.

"Detective Dube likes to use a lot of resources. We have a lot of resources in the area that aren't traditionally used," Ritter said.

Ritter is talking about the North Country Crime Analysis Center.

"They basically collect information... for law enforcement and they broadcast it out. They kind of sift through the stuff that you really need to know and you don't really need to know and then they push it out," Ritter explained.

They were able to type the license plate number into the New York State Plate Readers software.

"When they entered it, they found out that it had already traveled through one of the plate reader locations," Ritter said.

That was in Binghamton, New York. Dube also worked with Capt. Brent Davison of the New York State Police in Ray Brook. Davison made sure other barracks were on the lookout for Frisina and Rodriguez.

"He made sure that the state police out in that area were very aware that this was a possibility because of the plate reader hit already," Ritter said.

Then, they were stopped in a shopping mall parking lot in Syracuse.

"It really comes down to an astute road trooper saw the vehicle and imitated a stop," Ritter said.

Returning Frisina to her family after a terrifying week.

"We are so thankful to have her back," Scarlet Frisina said.

Rodriguez faces child custody interference charges in Florida. He could also see federal charges for bringing Caitlyn Frisina across state lines.