A 12-year-old who left her mum a goodbye note before vanishing without a trace has been found 200 miles from her home.

Police rescued her from a 30-year-old man who had been messaging her on WhatsApp and who is now facing kidnapping and rape charges.

Eduarda Viana Moris had left her home in Salto, Sao Paulo state, south-eastern Brazil on Monday night (5th September) ostensibly to go to her aunt’s house.

But she failed to arrive at her stated destination.

CCTV footage from the night of her disappearance shows her walking down the street carrying a rucksack after being dropped off by her father.

Eduarda later called her brother to tell him she had left a “gift” under her pillow.

But the gift was found by her mother to be a farewell letter.

According to the police report, her mother had learnt from her school that she had been exchanging messages on WhatsApp with a man.

Her mother had also learnt that she had been followed outside her school.

Eduarda’s mother said it was the first time she had run away from home.

But a police operation involving sniffer dogs scheduled for today (Friday, 9th September) was called off after Eduarda was found on Wednesday night.

She was found some 315 kilometres (196 miles) away in Ourinhos, also in Sao Paulo state, and was fine, said police.

The man in whose car she was found was arrested for kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, and statutory rape.

Someone had anonymously tipped police off about the vehicle after seeing the schoolgirl getting into it.

The suspect was remanded in custody at a prison in Sao Pedro do Turvo, also in Sao Paulo state. Police withheld his name.

His car was seized, as well as computers and mobile phones found in the flat where he had allegedly been holding the schoolgirl.

Eduarda underwent a police medical exam, the results of which were pending at the time of writing.