8-year-old Ohio girl takes her family's SUV, drives to Target

BEDFORD, Ohio -

An 8-year-old girl took an SUV from her Ohio home and drove for miles to a store where she was later found unharmed, authorities said.

The girl, whose name was not released, and the vehicle — a 2020 Nissan Rogue — were reported missing around 9 a.m. Sunday, Bedford police said. Family members said they had last seen the girl at the residence about two hours earlier.

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As police launched an investigation, they learned a small child had been spotted driving a vehicle on a nearby road, but that vehicle could not be located. The SUV eventually was found a short time later in the parking lot of a Target store in Bainbridge, which is nearly 13 miles (21 kilometres) from her home.

Police soon found the child by herself inside the store. She told officers she had struck a mailbox while driving, but nothing else. Authorities did not say why she had decided to travel to the store or provide further details about her trip.

The girl is too young to be charged criminally, police said. It wasn't clear Monday if any charges would be filed in the matter, which remains under investigation.