Florida family reunites with missing teen in Syracuse

'Many questions and emotions' after 17-year-old is found

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A 17-year-old Florida girl who was missing for several days reunited with her family Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y.

Authorities said Caitlyn Morgan Frisina ran away from her home in Lake City, Florida, early last Sunday with 27-year-old Rian Rodriguez, a soccer coach at her high school. 

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On Saturday, Frisina's parents, Scarlet and Ward Frisina, thanked law enforcement and the public for help finding their daughter.

“There’s just so many questions and emotions,” Scarlet Frisina said. “It has been a huge roller coaster for us over these past five days. We are emotionally drained, but we are absolutely elated to have her safe."

Frisina's disappearance quickly became national news after Florida authorities issued a missing child alert on Tuesday. Authorities began tracking the two through surveillance videos at rest stops as they traveled up the East Coast.

Police caught up with the pair on Friday in Upstate New York. Rian, who has been fired from from his position as head boys soccer coach at Fort White High School, was arrested. Frisina told police that she left with Rian willingly and she was unharmed.

Rodriguez is currently being held in a New York jail and faces a charge of interfering with the custody of a minor.