Major breakthrough in search for missing teen Mackenzie Dalton whose car & suitcase were found weeks after disappearance
Authorities disclosed details about the male suspect they arrested
AUTHORITIES have located a missing teenage girl who was last seen leaving her home in November.
Mackenzie Dalton, 16, was found safe on Tuesday after deputies in Lexington, South Carolina, sought the public’s help in attempting to locate the runaway teen who they initially said could be in danger.
However, on Tuesday, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said deputies had located Dalton and it did not appear that she was “ever held” against her will.
Investigators arrested Mackenzie Keith English Jr. in connection with Dalton’s disappearance.
English Jr. was charged with obstruction of justice, lying to investigators about being with Dalton and his knowledge of her location, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said.
“We have no reason to believe Dalton was ever held against her will or with someone she didn’t want to be with,” the sheriff’s department added.
Authorities said Dalton had drove away from her home in late November, and she was last seen with a suitcase.
Weeks after she ran away, investigators said they had located the teenager’s abandoned vehicle and her suitcase.
However, at the time, authorities did not disclose what, if anything, was inside the suitcase, or any information about the car she was driving.
Police also touted a theory, which sparked concern.
Dalton, who is five feet four inches tall, was believed to be endangered, police said, adding that she knew the male suspect was she traveling with.
At the time, police released a picture of Dalton that shows her with blond highlights.
Cops did not issue Amber Alert following her disappearance.
For an Amber Alert to be issued, cops must believe that an abduction has taken place, and the child is in imminent danger of suffering a serious injury or death.
Amber stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was introduced following the kidnap and murder of Amber Hagerman.
In 2024, there were 306 missing children cases reported across South Carolina, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
On average, around 2,500 people go missing in the state each year.
In 2023, 74% of missing children cases in South Carolina involved a teen between 15 and 17, according to the NBC affiliate WYFF-TV.
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