Missing teen found in Ohio

Blong "Lue" Vang, the Carson City teen who went missing on April 29, was found on Friday in Toledo, Ohio, said Neng Vang, his father, on Tuesday.

"His mom has already picked him up and they're on their way to Carson City," Vang said. "He was unharmed."

He added, "I'm happy. I'm relieved that he's been found."

Lue Vang, a Carson High School student and member of the band, was last seen about 7 a.m. April 29. He took with him a laptop and other items as well as his mother's 1995 blue Honda Prelude.

He was found on May 13, more than 2,100 miles away in Toledo, Ohio, said Deputy Jessica Rivera, who worked with Vang's parents throughout the ordeal.

Rivera said the 17-year-old left Carson City with $140 in his pocket and had been selling personal items on Craigslist to finance his trip. A trip to Toledo in a similar car costs about $420, according to AAA's fuel calculator.

"He ate peanut butter sandwiches and slept in his car," Rivera said, adding Vang's goal was to enter Canada once he got to Maine.

Last week, Rivera and Vang's parents were able to track the teenager's whereabouts after gaining access to his email account. In it they found maps he had sent himself detailing the route to Maine from Elkhart, Ind., and replies from potential buyers on Craigslist - the most recent ones coming from Toledo.

Rivera said Vang's father used a pseudonym, contacted his son on Craigslist and attempted to buy one of the items he was selling. After agreeing to a time and location in Toledo to make the sale, Lue Vang was met by Toledo police officers instead, Rivera said.

"I was lucky they helped me out with that," she said.

The Toledo Police arrested Vang on suspicion of possession of stolen property - the car he was driving - but Rivera said his mother, Yer Her, is expected to drop those charges.