The search for a young girl who vanished four years ago has come to a happy end…
Just days before her birthday, 14-year-old Alicia Navarro left her home in Glendale, Arizona, in the middle of the night on September 15, 2019. While her parents were asleep, she took only her phone and laptop before hopping over the fence of her house. All she left behind was a handwritten note for her family, promising to return the next day and giving no clues about where she ran away to at the time. According to KTAR News, the message read:
“I ran away. I will be back. I swear. I’m sorry.”
However, the teen never did. Nobody heard from her again. Her mom Jessica Nuñez desperately begged for help, as she feared Alicia, who was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, had been lured away by someone she met online. Jessica has done whatever it takes to track down her daughter over the last four years years, including paying for billboards in several states in the hopes someone would come forward with any information. Despite all her efforts, Alicia remained missing. Heartbreaking…
Related: Carlee Russell Charged After Alabama Abduction Hoax
It wasn’t until this week that the search finally came to an end. Because in an unexpected twist of events, a now 18-year-old Alicia walked into a police station in Havre, Montana, alone! No joke. She just stepped inside the station, identified herself as the teenager, and asked to be removed from the missing children list!
The police department quickly reached out to the Glendale Police Department, who confirmed she was the missing kid and notified her family she was found. Glendale public safety communications manager Jose Santiago said in a press conference:
“Alicia Navarro has been located. She is by all accounts safe, she is by all accounts healthy and she is by all accounts happy.”
It’s a miracle she was found safe after all these years! Police said Alicia has since had an emotional reunion with her mother. During the conversation, Santiago shared that the teenager wanted Jessica to know she was fine and expressed remorse for putting her through so much pain for so long. The momma has since spoken out about her daughter’s discovery, saying in a video posted to Facebook:
“For everyone who has missing loved ones, I want you to use this case as an example. Miracles do exist. Never lose hope and always fight.”
While Jessica didn’t go into detail about Alicia’s disappearance, she noted that “the important thing is that she is alive.” You can see the video (below):
What happened to Alicia, where she went, or whom she stayed with over the past four years since her disappearance remains a mystery. At this time, Glendale police are investigating the situation. They said Alicia has been cooperating with them so far. She has even conducted an interview with cops, where she claimed she was not harmed over these years. In a FaceTime conversation released by the police this week, an officer can be heard asking her:
“Did anybody hurt you in any way?”
To which she replied:
“No, nobody hurt me.”
Former FBI agent Jim Egleston, however, sadly doesn’t believe that is the case. He told AZ.com he believes Alicia may not know she is a victim right now:
“Regardless of whether or not she’s been diagnosed with autism, what strikes me is what I saw in many of the victims that I helped recover when I was working those cases. And that is they often don’t recognize that they are a victim. It used to be referred to as Stockholm Syndrome. Now it’s referred to as trauma bonding.”
Egleston thinks the investigation will soon reveal a crime was committed against Alicia, saying:
“I don’t see how this is likely without some other person being involved, and if another person was involved, you have to question their motives, of course.”
Awful. Although Alicia is now an adult, Egleston noted charges can be filed in this case if investigators find anything. Despite reports swirling around right now, a spokesperson for the Glendale police told the Associated Press on Friday that no one has been arrested in connection to this case. You can see more about the case (below):
Meanwhile, Alicia is still in Montana and does not face any criminal charges. Santiago said she asked for privacy, so she can move on with her life. Glendale PD Lt. Scott Waite added:
“We can only imagine what she’s going through, mentally, emotionally, as well as her family, and as much as we’d like to say this is the end, this is probably only the beginning of where this investigation will go.”
There are so many unanswered questions about this wild case! Hopefully, police can get to the bottom of what happened soon. But we’re just glad Alicia was found and reunited with her mom after all this time. Reactions? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via Glendale Police/Twitter, NBC Montana/YouTube]
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