Christine, a junior at Edgemont High School, ran away from home on Jan. 2 after a disagreement with a parent. Someone at St. Agnes Church, a block from Grand Central Terminal, recognized the missing girl's photo on a poster this past Sunday and notified Metropolitan Transit Authority police.
The discovery and happy ending came a day after 200 students, parents and members of Edgemont Community Cares -- with guidance from the Greenburgh Police Department -- fanned out over midtown Manhattan to distribute "missing" posters.
The Kang family thanked police and the community for helping find Christine "safe and healthy." She ran away in her pajamas and without a coat, but sought refuge at the church.
The Kang family wrote it "would like to express our tremendous appreciation to everyone who took Christine into their hearts."
The family credited Greenburgh police with correctly determining where Christine was likely to be found and with the volunteers who distributed flyers.
"We would like to thank all those whose tireless efforts and relentless search brought Christine safely home. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all who kept her in their thoughts and prayers for her safe return to home,'' the family wrote.
"We would like to give a special thank you to the gentleman who recognized Christine in the Church of Saint Agnes."
The family also thanked Greenburgh Police Chief Chris McNerney, Capt. Brian Ryan and the Detective Division of the Town of Greenburgh Police Department who "immediately implemented the search."
"Their efficient and powerful investigation identified Christine’s route promptly, which enabled the search to focus on the area of Manhattan. Furthermore, their determined and unyielding efforts played a critical role in finding Christine safe and healthy," they wrote.
"We would also like to thank all of the members of the Edgemont community. Their tremendous outpouring of support for Christine and our family have enormously helped us to continue the pertinacious search. Especially, we would like to thank Aubrey Graf-Daniels and the Edgemont Care Committee members, the Edgemont High School and the Edgemont Korean Mom Association.
"Through this network and our family’s friends, we could have distributed more than 4,000 flyers in areas of Manhattan and Fort Lee, N.J. All of their help and support has been beyond our family’s imagination."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Eastchester and receive free news updates.