Last Updated on October 28, 2025 7:25 pm
An 11-year-old North Carolina girl reported missing early Tuesday was found safe in West Virginia after investigators determined she had met someone online who picked her up from her home, authorities said.
Kimberly Trivette was located with the cooperation of the Moundville Police Department in West Virginia and will be reunited with her family, the Watauga County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday.
The girl was last seen on foot around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday near Honey Dew Lane and Rominger Road in Banner Elk, prompting an extensive search involving more than a dozen law enforcement and emergency response agencies.
While ground teams searched the area, investigators from the sheriff's office and the FBI reviewed Trivette's online and social media activity. Evidence suggested she had met someone online who picked her up near her residence shortly after midnight and transported her out of Watauga County, authorities said.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound girl was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black leggings and gray tennis shoes.
Sheriff Len Hagaman used the incident to warn parents about online dangers.
“Social media can connect our young people to friends, interests, and opportunities — but it also exposes them to individuals with harmful intentions,” Hagaman said in a statement. “We strongly encourage parents and guardians to monitor their children's online communications, know who they are interacting with, and talk openly with them about internet and personal safety.”
The investigation remains active, the sheriff's office said.
Agencies involved in the search included Watauga County Emergency Management, Watauga County Rescue Squad, multiple fire departments, Linville Rescue Search Dog Team, Boone and Blowing Rock police departments and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Watauga County Sheriff's Office at 828-264-3761, ext. 2.
