An 18-year-old former Radford College student who disappeared while jogging near Bendigo on Wednesday afternoon has been found alive by police.
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The woman, who moved to Bendigo to study dentistry at La Trobe University, was reported missing when she failed to return from a run in the One Tree Hill area around 3pm.
Grave concerns were held for her welfare with temperatures falling below zero on Wednesday night and her brother reporting she had epilepsy and was prone to extreme fatigue.
The teenager was eventually found by police on Hermitage Road in Maiden Gully, a suburb on the other side of Bendigo and more than 10 kilometres away from One Tree Hill.
She was found when officers intercepted a car after receiving information from a member of the public.
A Bendigo man in his 30s was arrested and is assisting officers with enquiries. He was picked up in the "very close vicinity" of where the woman was found, police said.
"The exact circumstances regarding how she came to be in Maiden Gully are still to be determined," a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
The teenager was taken to Bendigo Hospital in a stable condition and a crime scene was established by police in Maiden Gully.
Detectives from Victoria Police's sexual crimes squad have taken over the investigation.
Her reappearance is welcome news for her family and friends in Canberra and Bendigo who waited more than 24 hours for positive information.
Radford College principal Fiona Godfrey said the thoughts, hopes and prayers of the entire school community had been with the family during the search.
"The college is offering support and pastoral care to [her] friends who are still students at Radford and the staff who taught her," she said Thursday afternoon.
The teenager was employed at the Cork Street Café in Gundaroo while living in Canberra and owner Bridget Hinves said she was "absolutely devastated" by the news of her disappearance.
"She's the most enthusiastic, fun-loving, sporty, wonderful young woman; she has such a vibrant personality," she said.
It is understood the woman's parents were in Europe during the ordeal but waited patiently by their phone for updates.
Just hours before she was found by police, the girl's brother made a plea for the Bendigo community to assist authorities in the search for his sister.
"[She] suffers from epileptic seizures and needs medication," he said. "The seizures can lead to moments of disorientation and extreme fatigue."
Her classmates in Bendigo spread missing person posters throughout the town on Thursday morning. More than 15 students with bushwalking experience joined the search.
Head of La Trobe Bendigo campus Robert Stephenson said the university community was extremely relieved she had been found alive.
"The campus has been extremely concerned about her since she disappeared," he said.
"The university had been doing its very best to support family and her friends and fellow students volunteered to join the search."