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Sherri Papini, 34, went missing after going for a jog November 2

Her iPhone, earbuds and strands of what was believed to be her hair were found near her home

Papini was found safe "out of the area," the sheriff's department says

CNN  — 

A 34-year-old mother of two has been found safe three weeks after she went missing while jogging in northern California, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday.

Papini was found in Yolo County, California, about 140 miles from the Mountain Gate trail where she was last seen.

Bosenko said Papini was spotted on the road by a driver about 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

“She is safe, in stable condition and receiving medical clearance at an undisclosed hospital,” he said. “She has been reunited with her husband.”

Authorities are looking for two women in a dark SUV in connection with the case, the sheriff added. They reportedly are armed.

Bosenko said Papini “was released by her captor on a rural road near I-5. … She was bound with restraints but was able to summon help from a passing motorist.”

An iPhone, a pair of earbuds and a few strands of what was believed to be her hair were the only leads discovered in the days after Papini went missing November 2. They were found on a jogging path not far from the Papinis home.

Neighbors told authorities Papini was last seen in the mid- to late-morning or early afternoon of November 2, Bosenko told HLN shortly after her disappearance. She was wearing a pink jogging top.

Later that day, Keith Papini arrived home and it was unusually quiet, he told CNN affiliate KRCR-TV at the time.

“On normal days, I would open the door and my family comes, runs and gives me a hug,” he told the station.

Papini was not home. Nor were the couple’s children – ages 2 and 4. Her husband told the station that he called their day care center and learned the children hadn’t been picked up.

Papini used an app to track down his wife’s smartphone, KRCR reported. It was down the street from their home. “That’s when I knew she had been taken or abducted, in my opinion,” he told the station. Papini reported his wife missing.

‘Best mom I’ve ever seen’

Koester, Sherri’s older sister, told the station that Papini texted her husband that morning to see if he was coming home for lunch. He wrote back that he wasn’t.

Koester and Sherri’s sister-in-law, Suzanne Papini, both described Sherri Papini as a “supermom” who would not disrupt the routine of her children, KRCR reported shortly after the disappearance.

“She is an incredible human being,” Suzanne Papini told the station. “Best mom I’ve ever seen.”

Authorities used scent dogs and helicopters to search the area, Bosenko said. They also contacted registered sex offenders.

Keith Papini said he hadn’t told the children their mother was missing.

CNN’s Amanda Watts contributed to this report.