Buckeye police return 3 teenagers to families after running away to Mexico
Oct 3, 2024, 4:00 PM
(Buckeye Police Department photo)
PHOENIX – Three Buckeye teenagers who ran away to Mexico over the weekend were located and returned to their families, according to authorities.
Two 16-year-old females and a 17-year-old female were reported missing on Saturday when they did not return home but were assumed to be together. Buckeye police pinged one of the girl’s cellphones and it indicated the three were likely on the Mexico side of Nogales.
Investigators learned that the girls arranged a shuttle ride to the Nogales Port of Entry. Because they were juveniles and did not have a guardian, Mexican authorities placed the three in a shelter.
Working with the families, Mexican authorities, the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies, the investigators gathered documentation and organized the teens return to the U.S.
“Cases like these can be difficult and incredibly complex but because of the partnerships there were no barriers to getting the job done and reuniting those families,” Carissa Planalp, public information officer for the Buckeye Police Department said, to KTAR News 92.3 FM.
One girl was returned to her family on Tuesday when they picked her up directly from the shelter. The other two were reunited with their families on Wednesday.
Initial concerns were that the teens could have been trafficked over the border but investigators believe the girls were traveling on their own. Detectives do not have a motive for why the teens ran away.
No arrests were made.