Teen Comes Home 22 Days After Disappearance

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis teenager who was reported missing after being seen getting into a car with a man last month returned home Saturday, the Marion County Sheriff's Department said.

Police said they believe Quanisha Dowdell, 16, willingly left the Woods Edge Apartments with Joseph Tharp on June 16 and did not return home until Saturday.

Last week, the sheriff's department said it wanted to question Tharp, of Indianapolis, in connection with Dowdell's disappearance. On Monday, police said they wouldn't know whether any charges would be filed in the case until after an investigator talks with Dowdell and her mother on Tuesday.

Investigators want to know why Dowdell left, sheriff's Capt. Phil Burton said.

"The bottom line is, we're glad she's home safely," Burton said. "As to why she left, that remains to be seen, and we'd like to know that information."