License plate readers locate missing Powell teen in Minnesota after 20-hour search

Amelia “Milly” Jones was located at 9:30 a.m. Monday in Minnesota, less than 24 hours after she disappeared from Powell.

The teenager had left home Sunday in a red and white 1996 Ford F-250 pickup truck, accompanied by her border collie, Timber. Park County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Monte McClain said the department received a report of the missing person around 5 p.m. Sunday. Authorities confirmed that Jones was not heading to Minnesota as her final destination but did not specify her original plan.

Law enforcement agencies across multiple states coordinated the search. License plate readers detected the pickup traveling eastbound on Interstate 90 near mile marker 398 in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, area at approximately 9:20 a.m. Monday. Deputies from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota then positioned themselves along the interstate. A deputy spotted a vehicle matching the description and verified the license plate with dispatch before stopping the truck.

Jones was taken to a local law enforcement center to wait for her family to arrive from Wyoming. McClain stated that no charges have been filed in the case. Minnesota State Patrol officials did not return calls for comment before publication.

Shana Klassen, Jones’ mother, shared details about the incident on social media while authorities searched. She described her daughter as last seen wearing a black Def Leppard T-shirt, black capri leggings, and Converse shoes. Family friend Brittany Jackson noted that Jones did not have her phone with her. Klassen, who owns Lazy L Ranch Tack Store in Powell, declined to discuss the event extensively, citing the family’s need for privacy.

“She is safe. We are thankful to all the people and agencies that assisted us during this time,” Klassen wrote in a post Monday. The family traveled to Minnesota to bring Jones home. McClain said the search concluded once the family arrived to reunite with their daughter.