Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct age of the man charged, which is 40 years old.
A man is in custody after a 13-year-old girl who went missing on June 24 was found in the United States.
The teenager was last seen the morning of Friday, June 24, near a school.
In a news release on Saturday, Edmonton police said she was found in Oregon on the morning of July 2.
Officers said she has been taken to a local children’s hospital for a “precautionary examination” and that arrangements are being made to return her safely back to her family.
A 40-year-old man is in custody and will be facing charges of child luring. Police said additional charges may follow as the investigation progresses.
Several organizations were a part of the investigation, including ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams), Northern Alberta ICE Unit, RCMP, Abbotsford Police, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, CBSA, Gladstone Police (Oregon), Oregon City Police and the FBI.
“Many may be wondering why an AMBER Alert was not issued in this case. At the initial stages of this investigation, there was no evidence to suggest she was with someone, so this file did not meet the criteria,” explains Staff Sgt. James Vanderland with the Edmonton Police Service’s historical crimes section.
“An AMBER Alert was being prepared once we confirmed the credible tip of the suspect’s identity, his location and his vehicle description; however, we were advised that the suspect was no longer in Canada, so an AMBER Alert was no longer feasible.”
In a statement from the FBI Saturday, the Portland field office said it helped in the arrest of 40-year-old Noah Madrano for allegedly luring a 13-year-old girl from Canada to the U.S.
The FBI statement said “the girl was recovered overnight in Oregon City” and that the man is being held on state charges out of Oregon City Police.
The girl’s parents posted to Facebook Saturday saying they were on their way to Portland and are “bringing our baby home.”
“While we have a journey of healing ahead, we are focused on seeing and embracing our daughter and getting her back home,” the girl’s parents wrote.