A Pierce County girl, missing since May 9, was found safe in Puyallup and has since been reunited with her family, police said in statements issued Sunday afternoon.
A passer-by spotted the 15-year-old at a bus stop in Puyallup on Sunday and called police, a Puyallup police spokesman told The News Tribune of Tacoma on Sunday.
Officers took the girl to Bonney Lake police, who have since reunited her with her family, the newspaper reported.
“We will have no further comment at this time about her recovery,” Bonney Lake Police tweeted Sunday. “We will be providing info in the next several days as soon as possible.”
Last week, Pierce County prosecutors charged a man and a woman with felony kidnapping and other crimes in connection with her disappearance.
Christopher Fitzpatrick, 39, a convicted sex offender with several outstanding warrants, and Maria A. Counts, 29, each were charged with first-degree kidnapping, promoting prostitution, providing drugs to a minor and other crimes. Both pleaded not guilty.
A federal fugitive task force working with local police arrested Fitzpatrick on May 26 at a Lakewood home after receiving an anonymous tip. But the missing girl wasn’t with Fitzpatrick at the time, leading authorities to continuing searching for her in the Tacoma area.
The teen disappeared from her parents’ Bonney Lake home early on May 9. Police later said the girl had left the home and taken a bus to Federal Way, where she met Fitzpatrick. Detectives said they believed Fitzpatrick and the girl had traveled together between Tacoma and Tumwater, staying in motels and at campsites.
