SAO PAULO — Police say the younger sister of Brazil striker Hulk has returned home unhurt a day after being kidnapped.

Authorities say 22-year-old Angelica Aparecida Vieira was released a few hundred meters from her house early Tuesday afternoon in the northeastern city of Campina Grande.

Vieira had been missing since Monday but police weren't sure whether it was a kidnapping case. Investigator Marcos Paulo told The Associated Press that Vieira confirmed she had been abducted, but the family denied paying a ransom. No arrests had been immediately made.

Paulo said authorities still had to finalize their investigation before confirming it was a kidnapping. Vieira talked to police for about two hours after returning home.

"She told us that she was abducted but wasn't hurt, that's what is important," he said. "We are continuing our investigation to understand exactly what happened. If it was indeed a kidnapping, as it seems it was, we have to work to find those responsible for it."

Vieira went missing after being left in front of a restaurant in Campina Grande. A person who was with her at the time told police that he thought she was kidnapped, but there were no witnesses.