Missing Ohio National Guard soldier found safe

Credit: Scott Huck

Credit: Scott Huck

An Ohio Army National Guard soldier who had been reported missing has been found safe, her father said Wednesday.

The father of Michaela Nelson, Lance Nelson, said his daughter was in a Columbus hospital under observation Wednesday morning.

Nelson said his daughter, a Cedarville University graduate, was found in Columbus living in her car Tuesday.

“Very much so,” the older Nelson said Wednesday when asked if he was relieved.

Army Specialist Michaela Nelson had returned from Army Advanced Individual Training on Oct. 2, but her family had not heard from her since Oct. 26, the older Nelson told the Dayton Daily News last month.

Her father filed a report of a missing person with Columbus police shortly after that.

“We were relieved to hear Spec. Nelson had been found safe yesterday,” Stephanie Beougher, a spokeswoman for the Ohio National Guard, said Wednesday.

Lance Nelson told the Dayton Daily News last month that she apparently turned off her cell phone Oct. 30.

Nelson said at the time that the most recent text he had received from his 26 year-old daughter was on Oct. 24. She also sent a text to her grandmother Oct. 26, he said. Family members had not heard from her since, he said last month.

Nelson said his daughter may have been grieving over her mother, who recently died, or other issues.

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