CLEVELAND — Less than 48 hours after missing Cleveland EMT Lachelle Jordan was found alive, her family spoke to the public for the first time.
The Jordan family held a special press conference Saturday evening to shed more light on Lachelle's condition, their gratitude for EMS, Cleveland law enforcement and the public for helping spread the word of her disappearance.
Lachelle's father, Joseph, told the media during the press conference that Cleveland EMS passed out between 5,000 and 10,000 flyers after she was reported missing, "Part of the reason Lachelle is alive and safe and well is because of EMS."
Her family did confirm that Lachelle is currently hospitalized but also said "her spirits are up." When asked how she was able to get to safety on the night she was found, her father simply said, "She ran."
The Jordan family did not make any further comments on the details of her disappearance due to an ongoing investigation by police.
Cleveland police say that Jordan was found at around 11 p.m. in the 16600 block of Euclid Avenue and was taken to Cleveland Clinic for medical treatment.
A clerk at the Open Pantry said that Jordan came in and asked to use the phone on Thursday night. Surveillance video from Open Pantry shows the moment when Jordan limped into the convenient store around 10:35 p.m. on Thursday. She appeared to be barefoot and wearing a torn shirt.
A 911 call from someone else reveals that Jordan told authorities that she was kidnapped.
"You'll never believe this — we just got a call from Lachelle Jordan," the caller tells the dispatcher. "She said she just ran away from the people that kidnapped her. She said she got away from the people that kidnapped her and they tried to burn her alive."
Jordan, who was supposed to testify in a rape trial on Monday, was reported missing after she was last seen on Saturday, May 6, in the 11600 block of Fairport Avenue.
Police say she had gone outside "to get something from her car that was parked on the street." Then she disappeared.
Earlier this week, 3News' Lydia Esparra reported that Jordan had previously told family and friends that she was being watched and stalked.