A missing Utah teenager has been found safe after walking into a police station six weeks after vanishing. Fifteen-year-old Alisa Petrov, of South Jordan, was reported missing on April 21 after last being seen leaving her school in American Fork.
Petrov had sent a message to 41-year-old Samuel Teancum Mitchell on April 19, stating, “I’M RUNNING AWAY. Please don’t contact me.” According to an affidavit, the two had engaged in sexual conversations, including plans to meet and discussions about condoms and sex games.
Their exchanges were uncovered through messages left on Petrov’s iPad, which she had left at home. Police later traced Mitchell’s phone number and launched an investigation into three men connected to her disappearance.
Petrov was last seen on security footage leaving a train platform in Provo. Her family had offered a \$20,000 reward for any information that could lead to her safe return.
On the evening of June 1, she walked into the Colorado Springs Police Department—roughly 500 miles from her home—and identified herself. Authorities confirmed her identity and reported that she was in good health and safe with Colorado officials.
The South Jordan Police Department issued a statement on June 2 confirming her recovery, though it remains unclear how she traveled to Colorado or whether she had been held against her will.
Mitchell was arrested last Wednesday and charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and enticement. Two other suspects, William Taylor Glines and Matthew Nicholas Menard, are also in custody in connection with the case.