UPDATE: Missing St. Joseph County teen returns home safe

BURR OAK, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — UPDATE: Shortly after 4 p.m. Monday, the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office announced that Natalie Nicole Welch, who was previously considered missing, is safe.

The department said that around 2 p.m., deputies were contacted by her parents, who said she had returned home safe.

In a statement, officials said Sheriff Mark A. Lillywhite expressed his gratitude to everyone involved who helped look for her.

— Original Story —

Authorities in St. Joseph County are looking for a missing teenager whose cell phone was discovered abandoned in Three Rivers.

16-year-old Natalie Nicole Welch of Burr Oak was last seen in Sturgis on Saturday, February 20. Before that, she had been seen in several areas around Southwest Michigan and had been considered a juvenile runaway. But she was still in contact with her parents until Friday, February 19.

On Thursday, February 18, deputies responded to reports of a missing juvenile runaway. Wednesday night, she had apparently traveled to a mall in Kalamazoo and intended to return home. But due to the weather, she went to a friend’s house in the Colon area to stay for the night.

At around 3:30 p.m. Friday, while investigations into her whereabouts intensified, Natalie’s phone was located inside a shoe box at the Meijer store in Three Rivers. Natalie was reportedly spotted in Sturgis on Saturday, but has not been seen or heard from since.

Natalie is between 5’ 7″ and 5’ 9″ tall, weighing around 140 pounds. She has blonde hair with pink highlights and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a red jacket, black leggings and white Nike tennis shoes. Her name is tattooed on her left ankle and she has another tattoo of interlocking hearts on her right wrist. Natalie also has a nose piercing.

Anyone with information regarding Natalie’s whereabouts or who thinks they have spotted her should contact the St Joseph County Sheriff Department or 9-1-1.