Missing Franklin Woman Found
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Updated: 5:08 PM Oct 22, 2009
Missing Franklin Woman Found
The search is over for a missing woman from Franklin who was due to give birth next week.
Posted: 7:09 AM Oct 22, 2009
Reporter: Ryan Dearbone
Email Address: ryan.dearbone@wbko.com
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The search is over for a missing woman from Franklin who was due to give birth next week.

Two days ago, 25-year-old April Michelle Raines was reported missing by her mother.

However, the story started back on September 6th, because up until Wednesday, that's the last time anyone had heard from the mom-to-be.

Wednesday night, WBKO broke the news of Raines'' disappearance and within hours the case was solved... and Raines' and her baby were located.

At around 8:25 Wednesday night, Franklin Police dispatch received a call from an unidentified woman claiming to be 25-year-old April Michelle Raines' friend.

"During the course of the conversation, the call was disconnected. Then at 10:20, someone claiming to be a friend of April Raines contacted central dispatch," says Franklin Police Lieutenant Art McFadden.

The woman then put April Raines on the phone.

Raines disclosed her whereabouts to police and told them she had already given birth to her baby last week.

She also conveyed that her and her new baby daughter were fine.

However, she didn't tell police how... or why she disappeared.

"She did not elaborate on it and she just stated that she did not want to be involved with anyone around here."

Lt. McFadden says it was through Wednesday night's coverage of Raines' disappearance that a break in the case happened.

"Apparently, an unidentified friend got a phone call from somebody in this area stating that they'd seen a news story 3 times on WBKO, stating that she was a missing person and the fact that we had entered her as such," says Lt. McFadden.

Lt. McFadden says messages have been left with both Raines' mother, who filed the "missing person's" report, and her husband who shares a home with Raines on Lemon Street in Franklin.

Police say Raines has been taken off of the national "missing persons" list, and the case of her disappearance is now closed.

McFadden says since Raines is over the age of 18, her whereabouts don't have be disclosed.

Their main concern was the well-being of her and her baby.

In order for Franklin Police to finally confirm the woman on the phone was indeed April Raines, officers told her to go to the nearest law enforcement agency she could find and identify herself to them as a "missing person".

Then that out-of-state law enforcement agency and Franklin Police used the picture from Raines' driver's license to confirm her identity.



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