Gila River girl found in Iowa after 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 was arrested by the FBI, Gila River police said.
The girl was reported missing on August 6 after she disappeared from Bapchule, a community south of Chandler.
According to a Gila River Police press release, 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” about the girl’s safety and well-being prompted Gila River police and the FBI to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Iowa to locate her, the press release said.
On Friday afternoon, the girl was tracked down in Ankney, Iowa, along with 20-year-old Malachi Reed, who was arrested by the FBI and charges have yet to be filed against him, the press release said.
“The rapid response and coordinated efforts of all agencies involved reinforce our shared commitment to combating the nationwide epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous persons,” said Jesse Crabtree, Chief of Police of the Gila River Police Department.
