A Bulloch County teen who had been missing for more than a year has been found safe, living under an assumed name in Ohio, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday morning.

Family members of Dalen Smith, then 16, reported him missing on Dec. 23, 2011, from their Baygall Road home in northern Bulloch County, Sheriff Lynn Anderson said in a news release.

While the circumstances indicated that Smith had run away, the case was assigned to the sheriff’s office’s Criminal Investigations Division. Investigator Dusty Williams led the investigation, which spanned several frustrating months with leads from various states followed up on with no result. As time passed with little information, investigators considered foul play a more distinct possibility, Anderson said.

Williams used social media, news outlets and assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children while searching for Smith. Finally, the sheriff’s office received a tip this week from center indicating that Smith was living in Marion, Ohio, which is about 50 miles north of Columbus, under an assumed name, the sheriff said.

Williams obtained photos of Smith’s new Facebook page and confirmed with family members that the photos were indeed of Smith. With help from the Marion Police Department, Smith was contacted, his safety verified, and his family notified of his desire to remain in Ohio, Anderson said.