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Missing 8-year-old girl found safe after hours-long search

PITTSBURGH — A girl who was reported missing by her mother Thursday morning was found safe after an hours-long search that included police canvassing downtown Pittsburgh.

Eight-year-old Isabelle Purcell's mother told officers the girl was waiting for a bus with her at about 8 a.m. Thursday outside the Wood Street 'T' station. About 30 minutes later, when the woman got off the bus in Carrick, she told police she realized the girl was not with her.

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Police later learned that Purcell was actually with her grandmother at the dentist.

"She was in good hands. She was at the dentist in Children's Hospital. She's fine and this was all a big mistake. But thank you for looking for her,” said Ruth Purcell, the girl’s grandmother.

Ruth Purcell doesn’t have a cellphone, which complicated the search for Isabelle. They heard about a missing girl while waiting to leave Children’s Hospital.

"We were just waiting for the bus to come home from the dentist, and a guy said there was all kind of news that a little kid didn't get on the bus,” Purcell said.

It’s still unclear what let the girl’s mother to report her missing.

JUST CONFIRMED: Search underway downtown for missing 8-year-old.

Posted by Aaron Martin WPXI on Thursday, April 13, 2017