WASHINGTON — A D.C. teenager who has been missing in a Tennessee national forest since last Wednesday has been found a live, according to sheriff’s officials.
Ava Zeichel, 16, became separated from a class group during a hike on Nov. 11 in Cherokee National Forest.
Search teams found Ava alive and seemingly in good condition. Crews were working on bringing the girl down the mountain Tuesday afternoon, The Associated Press reported.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department did not release any additional details about where Ava was found or her condition.
Ava’s mother Erin Zeichel says in a post on her Facebook page that her daughter was found in the woods and is healthy but that she had to be carried out of the woods. Ava is expected to be taken to the hospital.
“Thanks to everyone for your prayers and positive thoughts,” Zeichel writes. “You can’t imagine my joy.”
Ava attends Freedom Mountain Academy, a boarding school in Mountain City, Tennessee. The school combines academic study, farm work and wilderness adventures for students.
Stay with WTOP for updates on this developing story.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
