8-year-old with autism still missing in Gwinnett County more than 36 hours later

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police are still searching for an 8-year-old girl who vanished in Gwinnett County more than 24 hours ago.

Nicole “Amari” Hall, who goes by Amari, was last seen by her mother at the Hometown Studios Hotel in Peachtree corners. Her family said she has autism.

Amari and her mother were living at the hotel on Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Her mother said she last saw the child in bed between midnight and 1 a.m. She said that when she woke up, Amari was gone.

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Lynn Hanna said she saw Amari playing outside the hotel just a few days ago.

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“The last time I saw the little girl she was playing out here with some kids,” Hanna said. “I don’t know what happened.”

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington tried to talk to Amari’s mother about the case, but she quickly got into a car and drove away.

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“I mean at this point were looking at everything,” Sergeant Jennifer Richter with the Gwinnett County Police Department said. “We’re using all of our resources. We’ve had k-9 units out searching, our search team was out yesterday and will be back out today.”

Amari was last seen wearing blue and white pajamas and she may have a blue Tweedy Bird jacket on. She’s four feet ten inches tall and weighs 80 pounds.

The search team will be in the area later Monday night and police are also going through surveillance video and looking in nearby restaurants and other hotels.

“Just everybody pray for her, for her safety and for her care,” Hanna said.

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