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11-year-old missing Alabama girl found dead, sheriff says

Authorities have not released a cause of death due to the ongoing investigation.

An 11-year-old Alabama girl was found dead Saturday, less than a day after she was reported missing, the Dekalb County Sheriff's Office said.

Amberly Barnett was last seen Friday afternoon at her aunt's house in the Mount Vernon community in northeast Alabama, according to the sheriff's office.

Authorities found her body at approximately 6:30 a.m. Saturday. They did not release her cause of death.

"Due to the current investigation, we are limited on the information we are able to release," DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said in a press release.

Amberly Barnett
11-year-old Amberly BarnettDekalb County Sheriff's Office

Jonie L. Barnett, the girl's mother, wrote in a Facebook post shortly after her daughter's disappearance, "Her phone was left behind and my baby takes it everywhere. Nothing in her phone indicated she was planning to leave!"

She also added that her daughter is not the type to run away.

In a social media post after authorities found her daughter's body, Barnett wrote, "Amberly life is not the same now you're no longer here, but our love for you is still strong and will remain year after year."