MESA COUNTY, Colo. — A 12-year-old girl for whom the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI) issued an Amber Alert on Sunday was found safe.
Authorities believed the girl left her home in Grand Junction early Sunday and was traveling with a 20-year-old whom the Mesa County Sheriff's Office initially described as her boyfriend. The Sheriff's Office later said in a news release that the two had met and communicated online and this was the first time they had met in person.
The Sheriff's Office said about 9:30 a.m. that the girl had been found safe and Teresa "Toby" Ochoa, 20, who identifies as male, was in custody. They were found at a home in the 1400 block of West 102nd Place in Northglenn, according to the release.
Ochoa faces a charge of second-degree kidnapping, the Sheriff's Office said.
The investigation was ongoing, the Sheriff's Office said.
"The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the community to speak with their children about the dangers of online communications," the Sheriff's Office says in the release. "It’s important to treat online friendships like in-person ones. Introduce your online friends to your parents and include them in the decision to meet in person."
Click here for more information and resources on internet safety.
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