Mom, Daughter Who Vanished in NYC Are Found

Iona and Emily Costello were just visiting for a couple of days
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 19, 2015 5:30 PM CDT
Updated Apr 20, 2015 5:03 AM CDT
Mom, Daughter Visit New York, Vanish
In this Jan. 21, 2010 file photo, a crowd of people walk during the morning rush hour in New York.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

A mother and daughter from Long Island who vanished after taking a trip to New York City late last month that was supposed to last just a couple of days have been found, Southhold Local reports. The details are still fuzzy: Iona Costello, 51, and her 14-year-old daughter Emily left for Manhattan on March 30 to catch a few shows; as of last weekend, they hadn't called home (Iona has a farm in Greenport, NY, and usually calls in to hear how her animals are doing), and family members described their phones as inactive since the day they left. At 4am today, local police issued a press release stating the NYPD had located the pair "at an undisclosed location" and noted "no further investigation is needed at this time." ABC News reports no charges are expected. ABC spoke with law enforcement officials who said the two were found on the city's Upper West Side after a hotel front desk manager recognized them.

Southhold Local previously reported Costello told farm staff they'd return "on Tuesday." Staff took that to mean April 7, but when the two did not return, they figured Costello meant April 14, the day Emily's classes resumed after spring break; a missing persons report was filed on April 15. Police had previously confirmed the two did make it into the city: Iona's car was parked in a Manhattan garage on March 30, and video footage shows the mother and daughter walking casually away, the Daily News reports. A family member notes Costello has been "under a lot of stress" over a legal fight regarding her late husband's will. George Costello Sr., a construction manager, died of a heart attack three years ago and left everything to Iona and Emily; his children from previous marriages are contesting the will. (More missing person stories.)

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