Autistic woman who ran away to boyfriend in India returns to NZ

  • 10/04/2018
Jessica Doody and her sister Sarah Doody.
Jessica Doody and her sister Sarah Doody. Photo credit: Supplied

Autistic woman Jessica Doody has returned to New Zealand after fleeing the country to be with her boyfriend in India.

According to a Facebook post by her sister, Ms Doody is okay but emotional following her journey home.

"[She's a] bit upset but shewill have heaps of support over the next few weeks / months," Sarah Doody wrote.

Ms Doody, who has a mental age of 14, had secretly changed her name to Kathleen Gray-Anttal and attained a new passport to go overseas before going missing on March 19.

Her phone was switched off and Facebook account disabled, leaving her family with no way to contact her.

She was found with the help of local police in India after her father travelled there to find her.

However, once the pair were reunited she refused to return home to Christchurch.

At the time, the family said they had "significant concerns" for her safety.

Newshub.