Two men have been taken into custody in connection with the disappearance of an Arizona teenager, which triggered a Turquoise Alert.
On June 19, the Arizona Department of Public Safety reported that a 13-year-old girl went missing after she was last seen outside a Circle K in Apache Junction. Following an argument with family members, the girl allegedly refused to enter her family’s car and walked away.
Investigators claim surveillance video from the Circle K store saw the girl getting into another car. The driver of the car was described as a man between the ages of 50 and 60, with brown or black eyes, black or grey hair, and a beard. He wore a gray tank top, black shorts, and black tennis shoes. The vehicle was seen traveling westbound on Superstition Boulevard.
The teen was reported missing on the night of June 23. Shortly after, authorities stated that the case fit the criteria for an Endangered Person notice, which was then elevated to a Turquoise notice.
On Wednesday morning, June 24, the man seen on surveillance video driving the automobile was apprehended in Globe. Hours later, the teenager was discovered safe in Globe. She has been reunited with her family.
On June 25, Apache Junction police said that two brothers had been arrested in connection with the teenager’s disappearance. They were identified as Patrick Sanchez Jr. (68) and Manuel Sanchez (60).
Both defendants face charges of custodial interference, wrongful confinement, kidnapping, and tampering with physical evidence. Sanchez Jr. has also been accused of sexual activity with a juvenile, luring a youngster for sexual exploitation, and child molestation.
Sanchez Jr. is being jailed on a $500,000 cash bail, while his younger brother awaits his court appearance.
Apache Junction Police Department discusses how community tips, thanks to the notice, helped them find the girl quickly.
“Obviously, a horrific situation where the 13-year-old victim was taken advantage of against her will,” said Apache Junction Police Lt. Thomas Parker. “Once it gets to that level, that is an all-hands-on-deck situation because of the urgency of the matter. All of our staff were working, especially with the criminal investigations division. Once the Turquoise Alert goes out, we start getting those notifications from community members and, because of the community, we got many investigative tips right away that were valid and helped us with this investigation.”
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