A 14-year-old Utah girl and her two cousins who were missing in Mexico for nearly two weeks have been found safe, and a man has now been charged in their kidnapping.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced they found Elizabeth “Ellie” Gonzalez safe in Mexico Friday night.
Gonzalez was visiting relatives in Mexico City when she disappeared on June 30. According to the FBI. The teen was last seen with her two cousins, ages 4 and 6, when the three disappeared from the San Juan Tlihuaca neighborhood of Azcapotzalco, Mexico City, according to a Mexican Amber Alert issued for the girls.
According to officials, Mexican authorities found the girls with a man named Antonio Moreno around 9:30 p.m. Friday in Veracruz, Mexico.
We know this:
Family says Gonzalez never returned from the trip to the convenience store.
Authority told KTVX-TV They believe Gonzalez may have been lured into a taxi by an adult at the time of her disappearance.
Her mother, Alma Sorek, told the station that she spoke to her daughter the day she went missing. Later that day, family members called her to tell her that Gonzalez went for a walk to a nearby convenience store and never returned.
Antonio Moreno charged with kidnapping
The FBI said a federal arrest warrant was issued for Moreno on charges related to Gonzalez’s disappearance, including kidnapping.
The agency said Moreno will be extradited back to the United States to face those charges.
According to one report, Moreno is González’s uncle and the father of his cousins. KTVX-TV,
Family members told the news outlet that Moreno was living in Caseville, about 22 miles north of Salt Lake City, and that he “abruptly drove to Mexico City” the day the girls disappeared.
The report also stated that Gonzalez had been visiting her grandmother in Mexico City prior to her and her cousin’s disappearance.
It’s unclear whether Moreno has an attorney.
Ahjane Forbes is a reporter on USA TODAY’s national trending team. Ahjane covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lotteries and public policy stories. Email her aforbes@gannett.com.follow him Instagram, Threads And X (Twitter) @forbesfinest.
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