Runaway who ‘did not want to be found’ located in Columbia, sheriff says

The search for a missing Midlands teenager ended weeks after she was last seen.

Zmaiah Carter was located in northeast Columbia late Sunday night and is safe, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said. The 15-year-old was a runaway, according to the sheriff’s department.

Carter was publicly reported missing by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department on Jan. 28.

She was last seen on Jan. 25, at her school, Spring Valley High, according to the sheriff’s department. That’s in Columbia on Sparkleberry Lane, not far from the intersection with Two Notch Road.

“We are glad that Zmaiah was found. She was a runaway but we treated her as a missing teenager and used all of our resources to find someone who did not want to be found,” Sheriff Leon Lott said in a news release. “Our prayers were with her parents as they were going through this very difficult time. I thank the media for their assistance in keeping her story in the public eye. The community also played a very important role in searching for her.”

In April 2021, the sheriff’s department said Carter previously ran away with her boyfriend but returned within 24 hours, WIS reported.

There was no word why Carter recently ran away, or if she was alone.

Information on how she was found was not available.

“Our missing person investigators are the most dedicated and committed deputy sheriffs anywhere,” Lott said. “They are that way because they care not just as cops but parents too.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Runaway who ‘did not want to be found’ located in Columbia, sheriff says."

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription