Missing FiDi Girl, 17, Found Safe and Well on Lower East Side

Sophie Barker was found in a library on the Lower East Side. Photo courtesy of Saida Barker.

Sophie Barker, a mentally disabled 17-year-old, was found safe and well late Friday afternoon after going missing Thursday morning from her father's home in the Financial District, her mother, Saida Barker, confirmed. Police located the girl in the Seward Park Library on East Broadway.

"The community showed immense support and flooded downtown with flyers, and people canvassing the streets," Barker told the Trib in a text. "There were several chats from downtown dedicated to mobilize people and thanks to them and the NYPD we were able to find her."

Barker called the library security guard "the real breakthrough since he called it in after seeing the [all points bulletin]." First Precinct detectives "immediately rushed to the location," she added, "subsequently calling Sophie's stepdad and then FaceTiming him to verify it was her." Seventh Precinct officers supported EMS workers who led Sophie to an ambulance, she said.

Sophie had last been seen Thursday around 11 a.m. at William and Wall Street after leaving her father's house without her cell phone to get a cup of coffee. Her parents feared she may be disoriented from missing a dose of her medication and could be in a "medical emergency," her mother had told the Trib. Libraries were said to be among her favorite places, a family friend said.