Alicia Navarro, who has been missing from Glendale since 2019, has been located in Montana
Alicia Navarro, a Glendale teenager who has been missing for nearly four years, has been found alive in a small Montana town near the Canadian border, Glendale police announced on Wednesday.
"She is, by all accounts, safe. She is, by all accounts, healthy," Glendale spokesperson Jose Santiago, said. "She is, by all accounts, happy."
Navarro, who has autism, was 14 years old when she went missing in September 2019 after leaving a note saying she was returning home soon.
Navarro's mother, Jessica Nuñez, said in a video posted on Facebook that she does not know the details of the recovery but could confirm the young woman was alive and well.
"I, first of all, want to give glory to God for answering your prayers and for this miracle," Nuñez said.
Nuñez said she had only heard about her daughter being found only about an hour before she posted the video.
Santiago said that the now 18-year-old went to police in the Montana town with the hopes of being taken off a list of missing children. He said that Navarro went to them of her own free will and identified herself to police. The name of the town was not released.
The young woman is asking for privacy with the hopes of moving on and building a life for herself, police said.
Police said they do not know the full story of what happened to Navarro, only that it started as a runaway situation because of statements she had made to them. They said she showed up to the Montana police station alone and did not require medical attention.
In two short videos recorded during a FaceTime call that police released, Navarro told investigators that she had not been hurt in any way.
In the first video, investigators reassure her they just want to ensure she is safe. In response, Navarro, with closed eyes, stutters as she tells officers that she understands. In the second video, investigators thank her for talking to them, and Navarro calmly thanks them for offering her help.
Lead investigator Lt. Scott Waite said that thousands of tips came in for Navarro over the years from all over the country. All were looked into. He said he had to look back and check if the Montana town was ever brought up on the tip line.
At this time, there are no imminent or pending charges against anyone in relation to the case, Waite said.
"We are also thankful she appears to be in good health and happy," read a statement from police.
Police said Navarro is still in Montana and is cooperating with police. They said she was in good spirits and is very apologetic for what she put her mother through over the past few years.
The department said in a news release that they will be working with federal authorities to investigate her whereabouts since the time she was reported missing.
Navarro's hand-written note on the night she was last seen read, “I ran away. I will be back, I swear. I'm sorry. - Alicia"
As a child, the former Bourgade Catholic High School student was diagnosed as "high functioning" on the autism spectrum.
Nuñez had voiced suspicion that her daughter had been abducted.
"Whoever took my daughter thought that she was just going to be another statistic, that I was just going to let it be. And that's not going to happen," Nuñez previously told The Republic.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Missing Arizona teen Alicia Navarro found in Montana
