Lake City 19-year-old believed to be ‘held against her will’ found safe

LAKE CITY, S.C. (WMBF) – A Lake City teenager believed to have been held against her will was found safe on Tuesday.

The Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office said deputies found 19-year-old Comonte Evans at a convenience store after she had been reported missing since Saturday.

Her last known location was within the Lake City area. Authorities said she traveled to meet with a man described as her friend but never made it back home.

Lake City Police Chief Joseph Cooper said Evans’s family had originally reported her being in danger after she sent a text saying she was being “held against her will.”

“At the time, when she was missing or at least, did not show up at the location she says she was going, she actually sent them back a text, from her phone, saying she is being held against her will,” said Cooper.

Cooper says investigators later found out that while the man she was with was not considered dangerous, the case did involve a domestic situation between he and Evans.

Deputies stated that Evans was unharmed and was “upbeat” when found. Officials added that she was detained for questioning, but later released and returned home.

The investigation is ongoing.

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