Missing girl found alive nearly 24 years later

An Arizona woman who went missing 24 years ago has been found alive.

She disappeared when she was just nine months old but recently had the chance to meet with her grandmother.

Phoenix. December 1994. 9-month-old Aleacia Stancil went missing.

Her mother Toni Stancil had a hard life. After the Air Force, she struggled with drug use and turned to prostitution.

24 years ago, Toni gave her daughter to a friend saying she just needed a few days to ‘clear her head.’

The child was passed from person to person until she ended up with police. Her identity unknown.

When Toni came back 2 days later, the baby was gone.

She went to jail soon after and didn’t report Aleacia missing until March.

But the information was never connected.

Toni was found murdered that same year.

“Without that one and only witness, I’m very limited in how to proceed with the investigation,” said Det. William Andersen.

Then in 2014, a young woman in Connecticut showed up at a hospital.

She had no ID and did not know much about herself.

The nurse found it suspicious and looked online for missing people.

She came across this age progression photo of Aleacia and called police.

Police took her DNA for testing.

Three years later, the tests came back a match.

Aleacia had been adopted and now goes by a different name.

Her grandmother, Frances Ford, says Aleacia wishes to stay out of the spotlight.

But says the two were able to meet in person.

She says Aleacia’s life has been complicated and confusing.

She wishes to one day have a close relationship with her.

“I would want the world to know that these are the things that can happen to kids, and this and every story is not a happily-ever-after and it doesn’t mean that they came from someone who didn’t want them or didn’t care. I don’t know how I can get around it, but I still want that to be known,” said Ford.