UPDATE: Missing 12-year-old Whittier girl found safe
WHITTIER -- A 12-year-old girl reported missing after apparently running away with a 20-year-old man she met online has been found safe in Riverside County, authorities said.
The girl is believed to have run away from her home in Whittier about 2 p.m. Friday, Whittier police officials said in a written statement.
"(The girl) was later picked up by a 20-year-old male Hispanic before they returned to his mother's home in Vista, CA for an abbreviated amount of time," the police statement said.
Police identified the 20-year-old man as Ivan Felipe Cerda.
"Through investigation, detectives learned that the girl and (Cerda) started a relationship on a social networking website and that she was picked up in his 2003 Volkswagen Passat on June 3rd," the statement said.
Police found the girl, unharmed, in Anza Saturday, officials said.
She was with Cerda, who was being detained by detectives for questioning.
CONTRIBUTORS
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| Frank Girardot, Metro Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, brings you behind the yellow tape with takes on true crime, cold cases and more. This is also your forum to discuss crime, its impact on your neighborhood and how we cover it. Have any questions or tips? You can leave a comment here or e-mail Frank. |
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Brian Day is the crime reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group. E-mail Brian. |
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