ARVADA, Colo. — A missing Arvada teen has been found, after her family believed she might be in danger.
The teen went missing Aug. 6. On Tuesday, Arvada Police said that she was located.
Previously, the teen's family members told 9NEWS there were phone records that showed the 17-year-old was in contact with a 29-year-old man living in Denver.
"We're worried sick about her and hope she's OK," her Aunt Julie Mitchell said via Zoom from Hawaii on Sept. 4. "We really don't know where she is or if she's safe. We are hoping for the best but also realize that sometimes in these situations bad things do happen."
The teen left her home on a Sunday evening, and her relatives said they didn't know who she spoke to just before she disappeared.
"Shortly before she made a call on the home phone to a 29-year-old man who had previously approached her and given her a burner phone and cash and methamphetamines," Mitchell said. "That's who we believe she may have gone to the night that she left."
The family explained that the man they believed the teen might be with kept her out one night in March. They said police gave the man a lawful order not to contact the teen or her family.
"I think a lot of people may think that when someone runs away, it's their fault or tend to blame them or be a little less empathetic about it," Mitchell said. "And I think we should treat every kid who's gone, the same."
Mitchell mentioned in addition to the Arvada Police Department they worked with the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, the Anti-Predator Project, and they said theye also contacted the FBI.
Previously, a spokesperson for the Arvada Police Department said, "Based on the background we have received, we're actively working this missing persons case, and are in contact with the family."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove the teen's name after she was found.
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