After a young Moroccan girl was kidnapped in Spain in August, authorities searched for signs of the girl for months but came up empty-handed.
Now, seven months later, the kidnapped girl has been found in the Amazon rainforest in South America.
The 9-year-old was rescued in Bolivia Saturday, and the person alleged to be her captor, a Bolivian national, was arrested, police sources told the Spanish-language EFE news agency. The young girl is said to be in good condition.
Local Bolivian press identified the man as 35-year-old Grover Morales, according to Spain's The Local. The man was allegedly holding her captive in a remote part of the rainforest in the central Cochabamba region. The pair were reportedly living in an indigenous community, and the Bolivian man is said to have taken the girl as his wife, according to El Periódico.
The girl was residing with her family in Barcelona when she was invited by a friend of the family on a vacation, reports note. The circumstances of how the 9-year-old was taken are not quite clear; her parents reportedly learned she was missing after they were unable to get in touch with their daughter or the man after several days. They soon reported the child had been kidnapped.
Bolivian police were able to rescue the girl and transport her to a hospital in the city of Cochabamba for evaluation. She is set to be returned to her family in Spain.
Morales may face charges of human trafficking and sexual abuse.