A missing 17-year-old Burchard girl and her 1-year-old daughter have been found safe and healthy in Mississippi.

Jessica McGinty called the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office earlier this week and told authorities she was in Mississippi, said her father, Raymond McGinty.

Jessica and her 21-month-old daughter, Autumn, were reported missing  June 30.

She ran away from home, Raymond McGinty said. At first, she drove to Ohio with a friend and then eventually made it to her mother’s home in Mississippi.

“I’m just glad to see her safe and see her in person,” Raymond McGinty said Friday from Brandon, Miss., a community east of Jackson.

Raymond McGinty and his ex-wife separated in 1996 and he has had custody of Jessica since she was 5.

While investigating the disappearance, Pawnee County Sheriff Jayme Reed determined the girl had run away. But because she was traveling with a 1-year-old child, safety concerns were especially urgent.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children listed McGinty as an endangered runaway on its Web site.

Raymond McGinty said he and his daughter were spending time sorting out issues to determine their next move. He said he wants to figure out an arrangement so his daughter doesn’t run away again.

He also wanted to extend thanks to the law enforcement agencies and others who helped find his daughter and granddaughter.

“I appreciate what everybody has done,” he said.

 Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com.