Michelle Newton was found alive in Florida after 43 years. Her mother abducted her in 1983 and since then her whereabouts had been sought, becoming the most important parental abduction case in recent decades.
Debra Leigh Newton took her daughter under the pretext of moving to Georgia to start a new job. After her daughter was located, the mother was arrested and brought to justice.
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The father of the girl who disappeared in 1983, Joseph Newton, said he did not suspect anything, but when his wife and daughter left, he no longer knew their whereabouts. Because it was considered parental abduction, the mother became one of the FBI’s most wanted persons.
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Michelle Newton was located thanks to a neighborhood report made to Crime Stoppers in 2025. Authorities proceeded to investigate the lead and identified Debra Leigh using a false identity.
The girl was raised under another identity and was unaware that she was wanted by the authorities.
