EPHRAIM, Utah, Dec. 19, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Missing Snow College student Madelyn Allen has been found alive and campus police say she appears to be in “good condition.”
The college announced the news of her discovery in a Facebook post at 9:25 p.m. Saturday, 120 hours after she seen on surveillance video leaving her residence in Snow Hall.
The school made a number of posts Saturday night announcing the news, the latest saying she is in the care of authorities and family members who plan to address the media on Sunday afternoon.
Allen, 19, vanished after leaving her Ephraim dorm at 9:22 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 13.
At a Thursday Snow College press conference, Madelyn’s family members made an emotional plea, one they hoped would lead to her safe return.
Family members talked about the challenges Madelyn faced in her young life.
She was born 26-weeks early, weighing just a pound and a half.
Her father, Jonathan Allen, also said she suffered “mental and emotional difficulties” and feared she may have been in the throes of a mental health crisis.
Snow College Police Chief Derek Walk said law enforcement agencies, including the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office, along with state investigators, and the FBI were assisting in the case.
“We cannot express enough gratitude to the incredible law enforcement effort,” the college said in one of its posts, following it up a bit later by saying “Snow College expresses deep appreciation to the many officers and agents who have worked on this case.”
The effort to bring her home went beyond law enforcement.
In addition to the public sharing information about her disappearance, friends at Madelyn’s high school, Davis High School in Kaysville, came together on Friday to support her and her family.
Friends and family had also planned simultaneous candlelight vigils in both Kaysville and Ephraim on Sunday, December 19, at 6:00 p.m. under the banner “Bringing Maddie Home.”
According to an updated post on the Snow College facebook page, the Allen family still plans to hold the events, rebranding them as “Maddie is Home” and calling them “gatherings of gratitude” instead of vigils.
As for the circumstances around Madelyn’s disappearance and where and how she was found, more details are expected at Sunday afternoon’s news conference at Snow College.
It’s set for 3:00 p.m.
Gephardt Daily will share more information on this developing case as details are released.
