Missing West Valley teenager found safe in Utah with her alleged kidnapper

PHOENIX – A missing West Valley teenager was found safe in Utah early Monday with her alleged kidnapper, who was taken into custody, authorities said.

Isaac Martin, 29, and 16-year-old Destiny Bateman were located in Kane County in southern Utah around 3:40 a.m., according to the Avondale Police Department.

Martin will be extradited to Arizona to face kidnapping charges, police said.

Utah Division of Child and Family Services was working to reunite the teen with her parents in Arizona.

When did West Valley teenager go missing?

Police issued a missing/endangered juvenile bulletin for Bateman on Sunday, identifying Martin as her possible boyfriend. The teen was last seen at her home near Buckeye Road and Avondale Boulevard around 1 a.m.

The girl sent her family a text message around 8:50 a.m. saying they were heading to New Mexico.

Related

Man kills mother in San Tan Valley, calls 911 to fake kidnappingTrump expands a voluntary pledge to protect consumers from high utility bills from AI data centersSAFE Alert issued for missing 69-year-old man last seen in PhoenixHouse again passes resolution seeking to halt military action in Iran as some Republicans defectOnly a few thousand primary ballots remain uncounted in Maricopa CountyWisconsin governor calls for transparency after Madison officer fatally shoots man with knife