A Utah teenager who had been missing for six weeks was found safe after walking into a police station in Colorado. Fifteen-year-old Alisa Petrov from South Jordan was last seen on April 21 leaving her school in American Fork. Prior to her disappearance, she had messaged 41-year-old Samuel Teancum Mitchell on April 19, stating she was running away and asking not to be contacted. Investigators discovered sexually explicit conversations between Petrov and Mitchell on her iPad, which she had left at home. Police traced Mitchell’s phone number and began investigating him along with two other men believed to be involved in the case. Surveillance footage showed Petrov leaving a train platform in Provo, and her family offered a $20,000 reward for information on her whereabouts.

On June 1, Petrov walked into the Colorado Springs Police Department, about 500 miles from her home, and identified herself. Authorities confirmed her identity and reported she was in good health and is currently safe with Colorado officials. The South Jordan Police Department confirmed her recovery the following day, though it remains unclear how she traveled to Colorado or whether she had been coerced or held against her will. Mitchell was arrested on charges including five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and enticement. Two additional suspects, William Taylor Glines and Matthew Nicholas Menard, are also in custody as part of the ongoing investigation into Petrov’s disappearance.