The Oconee County Sheriff's Office in Georgia shared the news on its Facebook page, stating that Julia Mann has been located.
'She appears to be safe and local authorities have been notified,' the post read. 'We will not release any further at this time. Please respect her privacy and be respectful to a teenage girl and her family. Thank you for your concern and your assistance in finding Julia.'
Mann vanished between February 20 and 21 while staying at the home of her grandparents in Watkinsville.
Sheriff's investigators said at the time they believed the teen 'left alone and on her own accord.'
Sheriff Scott Berry told the Athens Banner-Herald that he got the news from Mann's father, who was contacted by an out-of-state agency. He declined to say where the teen was found.
'We’re very excited. We’ve seen a picture of her so we know it’s her,' Berry said of Mann. 'We’ve talked to her on the telephone. We know she is safe.'
The sheriff said he does not know what happened to the girl in the intervening four months.
Neither Mann's mother, Terrie Clark, nor her father, Mitch Mann, have made any public statements concerning Julia's safe return.
Several people connected to the family, including Julia's uncle, have confirmed on Facebook that she has been found.
A $20,000 reward had been offered for information leading to Mann's safe return.
Mann was last seen by her grandfather at around 10pm on February 20 before retiring to bed at her grandparents' home in the area of Rocky Branch Road in Watkinsville.
By the next morning, she was gone, along with her cellphone and laptop.
From the time of her disappearance, Mann's cellphone and social media accounts have been dormant, raising concerns for her well-being.
Her mother, Terrie Clark, described the situation as 'an absolute nightmare' in an interview with NBC's Dateline.
