(NEXSTAR) – An Arizona girl who went missing in 2019 has been found safe, Glendale police announced Wednesday.
Alicia Navarro was found in a small town in Montana near the Canadian border, according to Jose Santiago, the media manager at the Glendale Police Dept.
Santiago declined to release the name of the town during a news conference Wednesday, citing Navarro’s privacy, but added that it is located about 40 miles from the US-Canada border.
“She is by all accounts safe. She is by all accounts healthy,” Santiago said. “We are happy, and at the same time, we are hopeful we will be able to supply this family with a little more closure.”
The missing teen went to a local police station and identified herself, police said, but it’s not yet clear how she wound up in Montana.
Navarro, who is on the autism spectrum, was 14 when she left home in September 2019, leaving a note for her mother that read “I ran away. I will be back, I swear. I’m sorry,” NewsNation reported in 2021.
The now 18-year-old was a big gamer and was active on social media. Glendale police say they are still combing for any online clues as to how she disappeared and whether or not someone else had a role in her disappearance.
“There were literally thousands of tips that would come in on this case,” Santiago said. “This has been going on for nearly four years now and every one of those tips, every one of those possibilities, were looked into and investigated.”
Navarro is still with the local police in Montana, who, along with the FBI and Glendale authorities, are trying to figure out what happened and if there was any criminality on the part of someone else. Navarro is not facing any charges, police said.
Santiago described her as being as happy as could be expected but overwhelmed by the situation.
“She wanted to talk to her mom, and she wanted to make sure her mother knew that she was OK,” he said. “We’re taking it day by day, step by step with her.”