A 15-year-old Utah girl who went missing in April has been found safe and in good health in Colorado Springs, authorities said late Sunday night.
According to Sgt Shaun Becker, Alisa Petrov entered the Colorado Springs police department earlier that evening and identified herself. Officials reported that she looked to be uninjured and physically healthy.
Alisa was last seen six weeks ago, on April 21, when she was seen on surveillance tape leaving a train stop in Provo. That was the last time she was seen until this week. Investigators have not revealed how she traveled to Colorado, or whether she was compelled or held during her absence.
Detectives are currently organizing efforts to reconnect Alisa with her family. Her father, Nikolai Petrov, had previously stated that the family’s top objective was her safe return, rather than making arrests or assigning blame.
“Obviously, it would be best if she simply walked in and said, ‘Hey, I’m back.'” “That would be the best outcome,” he told KUTV.
The facts surrounding Alisa’s disappearance are still largely unclear. Officials have not revealed where she remained over the last six weeks or the particular reasons for her decision to give herself in.
Becker expects a more thorough announcement as authorities prepare an official news release.
Nikolai Petrov announced the good news via a Facebook post. “We are all very happy that Alisa has been found and look forward to seeing her!” He wrote on Facebook. “Special appreciation to the South Jordan Police Department for working on weekends and to the Salt Lake City FBI for assisting them. Thank you to all of our friends for their assistance and support.”
Alisa was left off at Canyon Grove Academy in American Fork, Utah, some 32 miles south of Salt Lake City, on the day she disappeared. However, she never went to class. Instead, she bought supplies at a Speedway petrol station and convinced a man to drive her to a nearby train station.
She then traveled to Provo, about 14 miles away, and apparently begged various people for help in purchasing a bus ticket to Las Vegas. Her purpose was to meet 35-year-old Matthew Nicholas Menard, with whom she had been in communication.
The teen’s mother, Olga, previously told the Daily Mail that Alisa had saved approximately $1,000 from birthday gifts and allowance money, which she kept after turning 15 on April 16, just five days before disappearing.
