LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After more than four decades, a cold missing persons case out of Jefferson County has been solved, and a woman has been reunited with her biological father and extended family.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office called it a "once-in-a-lifetime" case.

Michelle Newton disappeared in 1983 at just 3 years old, with her mother, Debra Newton.

According to a JCSO release, Debra told her husband they were relocated to another state to start a new life. The two maintained periodic contact, but within a year, both Debra and Michelle disappeared entirely and communication stopped.

Authorities opened a custodial-kidnapping investigation, and Debra was indicted on custodial-interference charges.

“Seeing a daughter that hasn’t seen her father since she was 3 and a father who ha

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