Iowa
17-year-old Arizona girl found in Iowa with man after being missing for 10 days
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The Republic
A 17-year-old girl from the Gila River Indian Community was found in Iowa after being missing for 10 days, and a man she met there has been arrested by the FBI, according to the Gila River Police Department.
The girl was reported missing Aug. 6 after she disappeared from Bapchule, a community south of Chandler.
According to a news release from Gila River police, the girl allegedly purchased a ticket from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to Des Moines, Iowa, to meet a man she had been communicating with online.
“Serious concerns” for the girl’s safety and well-being prompted the Gila River Police Department and the FBI to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Iowa to locate her, according to the news release.
On Friday afternoon, the girl was located in Ankney, Iowa with 20-year-old Malachi Reed, who was arrested by the FBI. His charges were still pending, according to the news release.
“The quick response and coordinated efforts of all agencies involved reaffirm our mutual commitment to addressing the nationwide Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons epidemic,” said Jesse Crabtree, the police chief of the Gila River Police Department.