Missing 3-year-old girl safely returned home in time for Christmas

A 3-year-old girl who had been the subject of a missing person’s investigation for more than six weeks has been safely returned home to Atlanta, just in time for Christmas.

The Atlanta Police Department announced on their Twitter and Facebook pages Thursday night that officers safely returned 3-year-old Harmony Hill to her legal guardians on Wednesday. 

The investigation began on November 8, after Atlanta police were notified that Harmony had been taken by her noncustodial father, Nickien Collins, without consent.

FLORIDA WOMAN, GEORGIA MAN FLY 12-YEAR-OLD TEXAS GIRL OUT OF STATE FOR SEX, POLICE SAY

APD’s Special Victims Unit was notified about the incident, and Investigators Williams and D. Scott were assigned the case.

According to the Atlanta Police Department’s post, both investigators put in countless hours gathering intelligence, conducting surveillance, and working with other law enforcement agencies to track the suspect and child.

On Tuesday, Investigator Scott coordinated with federal authorities to arrest Collins in south Mississippi and return Harmony safely to her family.

On Thursday, the girl’s aunt posted a picture on her Instagram page of Harmony after she was found, and praised the work of Atlanta police.

In her post, the aunt wrote, "Atlanta Police have a true GEM in Detective Scott! The case was just reassigned to her last Friday. Detective Scott reached out to our family and started working it on Monday. And she found Harmony on Wednesday. Detective Scott found her in less than half a week!!!"

The girl's grandmother also praises Detective Scott's efforts in the girl's safe return.

In their post, Atlanta police wrote they are proud of the work of all the investigators and officers who assisted in Harmony’s safe return and thankful for the assistance of our local, state, and federal partners for their help in this case. 

They also gave special thanks to Investigators Scott, Williams, and Stoddard and the entire Fugitive team for their work on this case and the safe return of the little girl. 

According to the APD post, "Our officers and investigators pour their all into every case and are relentless in their effort to bring justice to victims and their families and to hold suspects accountable. This case is just another example of our commitment to public safety."

WATCH: FOX 5 NEWS LIVE COVERAGE

_____

AtlantaMissing PersonsNews