Police have reported finding alive a 13-year-old girl who went missing in Edmonton more than a week ago. The girl was in Oregon with a 41-year-old man.
The week-long search had begun when the girl was seen arriving at her secondary school, but never showing up to class.
Edmonton Police Investigator Brent Dahlseide said the teen was reported missing on June 24 and is currently in a hospital in Oregon undergoing medical tests. She was found safe earlier Saturday morning.
According to Dahlseide, a 41-year-old suspect has been arrested and is expected to face a host of charges in the United States and Canada, including one count of child luring.
The Edmonton police have benefited from the cooperation of other Canadian agencies as well as the United States Federal Police and other United States police services.
According to Detective Dahlseide, police believe the suspect traveled to Edmonton to join his victim, but it is not yet clear how he contacted her or how he was able to get her across to the United States.
“It would be speculation to say that they crossed the border together, but I know that they were seen together in the United States, after entering the country,” Mr Dahlseide told reporters at a conference. virtual press release on Saturday. He said the suspect may have contacted his victim online.
“I don’t know how long they were able to communicate together. I know the reason we’re going to file child luring charges right now is that we can prove it because of some of their online history,” he said. supported.
Photos of the teenager have been posted on huge billboards across Alberta in hopes of finding her.
An Amber alert was not triggered, Dahlseide said, due to a lack of information on the description of a potential suspect or a vehicle involved in the case.
Investigators reportedly received information about a potential suspect and a vehicle on Friday and were preparing to issue an Amber Alert when the Canada Border Services Agency informed them that the suspect had crossed the US border.
At this point, the officers deduced the suspect’s destination based on the information they had and passed the case on to US authorities.
Investigator Dahlseide said he believes the arrest took place on the outskirts of Gladstone, Ore., just south of Portland. The identity of the suspect will be made public when he is formally charged.
The family of the young victim was informed of the happy ending early Saturday and that they were organizing his return home.
However, Canadian investigators have not yet been able to speak with the girl or the suspect.
According to Mr. Dahlseide, the suspect spent three or four days in Mission, British Columbia. They hope to be able to speak to witnesses who may have seen the suspect or the young victim during these few days.