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New Jersey Police: 8-Year-Old Girl, Woman With Possible Alzheimer's Found After Going Missing

UPDATED 03/18/16 12:21 a.m.

EAST ORANGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork)-- Satellites were used to find an 8-year-old girl and a 64-year-old family friend with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, after they vanished for more than 24 hours in New Jersey.

As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, there were hugs and a happy homecoming for Kayla Smith Thursday night. She had been missing for nearly 30 hours. Kayla said she was happy to be home.

The time she was gone was sleepless and agonizing for her family.

"We understand that a lot of times, these types of situations don't turn out as well as this one did, and we were grateful that it did," said Kayla's father, Joe Gillespie.

The little girl was picked up on Wednesday morning around 10 a.m. at her East Orange, New Jersey home by Flora Roach-Premnauth, 64 -- a very close family friend.

The two were headed to John F. Kennedy International Airport to pick up Kayla's mother, but never made it.

The woman's family told police she suffers from early onset Alzheimer's disease, so they launched an all-out search.

"Miss Roach-Premnauth's phone was last pinged at 2:45 p.m. yesterday, and she did call her son yesterday at 2 o'clock for directions," said Acting East Orange police Chief Phyllis Bindi.

The two were found around 4:45 p.m. Thursday at a McDonald's in Woodside, Queens when the radio GPS locator in Roach-Premnauth's Cadillac was activated by the car dealership where she bought it.

"She was just a little disorientated and just rode around. She just rode around," Bindi said.

Both Flora Roach-Premnauth and Kayla were doing fine late Thursday. Kayla's her family wants to thank all those who helped bring their little girl home.

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