A 17-year-old girl reported missing out of Rochester Hills was found safe early Thursday morning after sheriff’s deputies raided a home on the west side of the state.
Around 2:00 a.m., deputies with the Newaygo County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence on North Bingham Avenue near 15 Mile Road in Lilley Township, just north of Bitely. The raid came after investigators spotted a Jeep Cherokee matching the description of the vehicle the teen was seen getting into the day she disappeared.
The girl was reported missing on November 7 after she didn’t make it home from school. Investigators later determined she got off her bus at her normal stop, but instead entered a Jeep driven by an unknown adult. Information collected by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office suggested she may have traveled to the west side of the state.
That intel proved accurate.
Deputies found the missing girl inside the home along with a 51-year-old Bitely-area man. The teen was immediately recovered, interviewed, and turned back over to Oakland County authorities.
The man was taken into custody and is expected to face a list of serious charges, including:
⌁ Harboring a runaway
⌁ Manufacturing child pornography
⌁ Multiple firearms-related offenses
His name has not yet been released.
Newaygo County Sheriff Bob Mendham thanked community members who came forward with tips during the search, which ultimately led investigators to the home and the suspect vehicle.
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