'Sense of Relief' Now that Wayland Teen Is Safe

Messages of thanksgiving and rejoicing are pouring in now that 13-year-old Allie Loftis has been found safe in Jersey City, N.J.

At about 1 p.m., Tony Loftis, Allie’s father, told Patch he and his wife, Christina, had not yet seen their daughter, but there was no doubt the girl in protective custody was, in fact, Allie.

Tony Loftis said they were “thrilled” with the news and were grateful for all the help and concern expressed by family, friends and others who got involved in the search via social media.

Chief Bob Irving said he felt he could speak for the entire department when he said he felt “a sense of relief that she’s been found.”

“It’s good news especially considering the number of days she’s been gone,” Irving said. “Things became more and more ominous as the days passed.”

from her Wayland home on Nov. 4. She is thought to have caught a train to Boston and then a bus to New York City. Surveillance footage showed Allie exiting a Peter Pan bus in Manhattan at about 11 p.m. on Nov. 4.

“I really have to credit Sgt. [Jamie] Berger and Det. [Ruth] Backman – they’ve worked on this case virtually non-stop since Nov. 4,” Irving said, noting that the two took the initiative to head down to New York City, Nov. 15, to continue aiding in the investigation. “I credit the family as well for being proactive.”

Readers on the Wayland Patch page on Facebook expressed their relief at the news Allie had been found.

“Thank you for this good news! I am thrilled for her family,” Gabrielle Daniels Brennan posted.

“Thank God,” Lissette Colon posted.

And Dawn Marie O'Brien Wladyka and Janet Wolbarst both said they got “chills” at the news.

Principal Betsy Gavron forwarded an email from Wayland Superintendent Paul Stein. In the email, Stein said “Thanksgiving has indeed come a week early this year!”

“On behalf of our entire community, we can, with assurance, express a collective sign of relief, an appreciation for all those who worked to locate her, and a wish to wholeheartedly welcome her back,” Stein’s email reads.

The circumstances of Allie’s disappearance and the events that occurred during these 12 days she has been missing remain under investigation. was taken into protective custody at about 9 a.m. on Nov. 16 after police received a tip.