Investigators had Riley.
She was receiving medical attention.
She was safe.
Her parents immediately traveled to Missouri.
After nearly five years of uncertainty, the family was finally facing the reality they had dreamed about and feared at the same time.
Riley had survived.
But surviving was only the beginning.
The investigation moves in two directions
Once Riley was found, investigators had two major objectives.
First, they needed to establish exactly what had happened to her.
Second, they needed to determine whether anyone else had been involved.
The investigation moved quickly across state lines.
Texas investigators revisited the original disappearance.
Missouri investigators examined the property where Riley had been found.
Federal authorities became involved because the fictional case involved multiple states.
Old records were reviewed.
Travel histories were examined again.
Digital evidence that had seemed inconclusive years earlier was reassessed with the benefit of new information.
This is one of the
