When 16-year-old Asata Amun sprinted shoeless from her Gwinnett County, Georgia home last February, she sparked a 13-month search that culminated in an unexpected twist in Tennessee.
The Troubled Home Life
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The teen’s dramatic flight occurred after her father, Kwabena Amun, threatened to send her to military school due to behavioral concerns.
Doorbell camera footage showed their final interaction, with the father shouting out as she fled into the night without her possessions.
A Complex Family Dynamic
The case took a dark turn when officials withdrew Asata’s two sisters from their father’s custody, citing abuse allegations that Mr. Amun has rejected.
All allegations of abuse are unverified, and Mr. Amun, like all suspects, is deemed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The Path to Safety
According to Asata’s mother, Jasmine Dominique, the teen first slept on Atlanta’s streets before a Good Samaritan assisted her in boarding a bus to seek sanctuary elsewhere.
The youngster eventually found her way to Tennessee, where she resided under an assumed name while in the custody of the state’s Department of Children’s Services.
A Mother’s Joy
Speaking from her Connecticut home, Dominique said she dropped her phone in shock upon learning of her daughter’s discovery.
The revelation happened when Tennessee officials discovered Asata’s genuine identity through contradictions in her answers.
While Asata must first transfer to Georgia’s Department of Family and Children Services, her mother anxiously anticipates their imminent reunion after thirteen long months apart.
