Advertisement Missing N. Conway girl back home safely Abigail Hernandez reported missing in October Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A 15-year-old North Conway girl missing since October has returned home safely, officials announced Monday.Click to view a timeline of the girl's disappearanceThe Attorney General's Office said Abigail Hernandez was safely reunited with her family Sunday evening.Click to watch News 9's coverageThe facts and circumstances surrounding her disappearance are still being investigated, and officials said few details were going to be released at this time."We're just happy to see her home safe and sound, but we still want to understand how that came about and what the circumstances were," said FBI Special Agent Kieran Ramsey.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."The Hernandez family has requested privacy. Zenya Hernandez, Abby's mother, told law enforcement officers, "Today, we are the happiest people on earth."Local school officials said they were glad to hear the news of Abby's return."We are all extremely pleased and happy that Abby is home safe and back with her family," said Conway School Board Chairwoman Janine McLauchlan. "Like everyone else, we are looking forward to welcoming her back to the community."Abby Hernandez hadn't been seen since Oct. 9. Her last contact with anyone was a text message sent at 2:53 p.m. that day.In December, investigators revealed that her mother received a letter from Abby on Nov. 6. The letter was postmarked Oct. 23.Amanda Smith is a close family friend of the Hernandez family. She was instrumental in handling social media sites about Abby's disappearance."We couldn't have asked for a better outcome. I'm just really happy she's home and can't wait to see them and give them a big hug," said Smith.Investigators are expected to brief the media on Tuesday with updates about Abby's disappearance and more on their investigation.