Advertisement Teen missing for 9 months reunited with New Hampshire family Abigail Hernandez last seen in October Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Abigail Hernandez, the New Hampshire teenager who had been missing since last October, was safely reunited with her family Sunday, the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said, but many unanswered questions about her disappearance remain.Watch the reportHernandez, 15, was last seen Oct. 9 after leaving Kennett High School in Conway. Police said she walked her normal route toward home and sent several texts between 2:30-3 p.m. But she never made it home.Photo timeline: Abby Hernandez disappearanceZenya Hernandez, Abigail’s mother, told authorities that "today we are the happiest people on earth."It appeared the investigators were still working to learn where Hernandez had been, and why and how she returned home."We're just happy to see her home safe and sound," said FBI Special Agent Kieran Ramsey. "But we still want to understand how this came about and learn more about the circumstances."Associate Attorney General Jane Young said Abby was in good condition.Experts said her safe return and good health indicate someone was, in some form or another, caring for her."Someone that had means to keep her out of the spotlight -- she wasn't homeless. She would have turned up on law enforcement's radar if she was homeless or wound up in a shelter someplace," said David Ruoff, former New Hampshire assistant attorney general.Young said this is an ongoing criminal investigation, and officials want to know what happened."This was a 14-year-old who went missing for nine months. She did not do this on her own," Young said. "This is still a child. This child did not have the ability to survive on her own."A $20,000 reward had also been offered for information leading to her safe return.Police did reveal several months ago that she had written home to her mother.When the letter surfaced, Ramsey said there was the possibility that Abigail had run away but that someone could still be coercing her into staying away from home."All I know is that Abby is home and they are beyond ecstatic and overjoyed to have her home," neighbor Amanda Smith said.With the family's prayers answered, a website that was set up to help find Hernandez when she was missing said, "Thank you everyone who has shared fliers, and offered help and support. We can't thank you enough."