Photo: Glendale Police Department
An Arizona teenager who was initially reported missing in 2019 was finally located after she made contact with police in Montana, the Glendale Police Department announced on Wednesday (July 26).
Alicia Navarro, now 18, was reported missing from her Glendale home on September 15, 2019, at the age of 14 and found safe near the Canadian border this week, Jose Santiago, a spokesman for the Glendale Police Department, said during a news conference via NBC News.
"She is by all accounts safe, she is by all accounts healthy, and she is by all accounts happy," Santiago said.
Navarro, who police described as having "high-functioning autism," was initially considered to be a runaway, however, her case is currently under investigation as authorities continue to determine how she ended up in Montana, Glendale Lt. Scott Waite said via NBC News.
"Every indication she's given to us so far is that she willfully left her home," Waite said. "Now the dynamics surrounding that decision are obviously something we're looking into."
Navarro was alone when spoke to police and was reported to have "basically" requested to be taken "off a missing juvenile list."
"She showed up to a police department. She identified herself as Alicia Navarro. She basically asked for help to clear her off of a missing juvenile list," Santiago said via NBC News.
"She is not in any kind of trouble," he added. "She is not facing any kind of charges."
Navarro was finally reunited with her mother, who continued searching for her since her disappearance, in what Waite said was "emotionally overwhelming" for both of them, but didn't specify on how they reunited.
"I can say, for everyone involved, including the detectives, it was extremely overwhelming," Waite said via NBC News.