Missing Teen Mishell Green Found Hours After Being Featured on 'The View'

Feb. 26, 2012 — -- Missing New York teen Mishell DiAmonde Green has been found and reunited with her family hours after she was featured on ABC's "The View," last week.

An anonymous viewer who recognized 16-year-old Mishell's profile from the segment immediately called the Black and Missing Foundation to report her whereabouts, which led to her recovery at a shelter called Safe Horizon for victims of violence in New York City.

Green disappeared Sept. 8, 2011 while heading to an after-school program called "The Door" in the Soho area of New York.

While Green has not yet disclosed what happened to her after she went missing, her family said "Mishell is safe and out of harms way."

"We thank all who lifted your hearts and voices in prayer, who posted reports, who told about her disappearance, who called us with suggestions, and who were there," Green's family said in a statement."Thank you to 'The View' for providing a platform that gave Mishell's story the media attention needed for her recovery."

"The View" segment featuring Green aired on Feb 24. It was the second in a series of segments titled "'The View' on Crime: Missing Black Children."

During "The View" segment, Janell Johnson-Dash, Mishell's mother, described what happened after daughter disappeared.

"This was her first time going out alone where we weren't going to pick her up, so I trusted her with a set of keys, because I trust her, and a 10 p.m. curfew. You're 16, you can do this. She said, 'Ma I promise I'll be home on time.' She gave my husband a hug and a kiss and we never saw her again," said Johnson-Dash on "The View."

Johnson-Dash said her daughter is the type that's early, not late. When Mishell was still missing the next morning, she called the police.

"They told us, 'Don't worry about it, this type of stuff happens all the time with teenagers. We're pretty sure she'll show up.' And my immediate response was, 'You don't know my baby. This is completely out of character. There's no way in the world that she would just stay out.'"

Johnson-Dash called the police around 10 a.m., and they arrived at her house after 1 p.m.

Green had no history of running away, but the police classified the case as the runaway.

"It took us three days to get assigned a detective," said Johnson-Dash.

Johnson-Dash said she requested the video footage from "The Door" of the day her daughter went missing, but the organization refused to release any information.

"I grew up right here next to Lincoln Center which is predominantly Caucasian area. I went to all-white schools. If I would have made this report from my old address next to Lincoln Center versus where I live in the Bronx, it would have been treated totally differently," said Johnson-Dash.

According to FBI figures, nearly 40 percent of all missing persons are people of color, but critics say that the most media attention is reserved for white women.

"This reunion proves how vital national media coverage is in finding missing persons," said Derrica Wilson, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Black and Missing Foundation, Inc. who also appeared on "The View" segment. "As an advocate for missing persons of color, it is our mission to help bridge the gap in the disparity of coverage of our missing persons."

Green's Family and Wilson are scheduled to appear live Monday, Feb. 27 exclusively on "The View" where they will discuss the recovery of Mishell Green.