Maine Woman Reported Missing While Visiting New York City Found Safe

A 29-year-old woman who was reported missing by her parents in Falmouth, Maine, earlier this week has been found, police said.

Christine Hammontree was found unharmed in a hostel in Queens Friday evening with no foul play suspected, NBC New York reported. The missing persons case is closed, according to the New York Police Department.

Although she was found safe, the 29-year-old was still taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure. According to police officials, the woman had been out drinking in the city the last couple of days and took an Uber to the hostel.

Police were able to identify the car Hammontree was last seen getting into with a group of people and speak to the driver, New York Post reported, citing unnamed police sources. They were then informed that Hammontree was staying at a hostel across the East River.

Hammontree vanished Monday after getting into an SUV near a Times Square McDonald's. Her parents reported her missing Tuesday as she was due to return to Maine after visiting her boyfriend in New York but had not shown up. New York City and Falmouth police raised efforts to search for the 5-foot-9 woman.

On the day she allegedly disappeared, Hammontree could be seen in footage interacting with some people at McDonald's while drinking nutcracker cocktails at around 2 a.m., NBC New York reported, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the investigation. Her mother did not recognize any of the people with her daughter, a reason why she became concerned.

Christine’s mother, Judy Hammontree, revealed that her daughter was expected to return to Maine earlier this week after her trip to NYC. However, Christine missed her flight at LaGuardia, and her boyfriend was out of town last weekend.

Judy walked the streets of Times Square and Long Island City, where her daughter had lived for two years, to find her. She claimed that her daughter would never go a day without texting her, a reason for her to worry at the time.

"Christine just started a new job that she was very excited about. She hasn’t worked and has not been in touch with any family or friends which has never happened in the past," a statement from the Hammontree family read.

After locating Christine, Falmouth police credited the media attention given to her case as a key factor in locating her.