One Month Missing: Detroit Teen’s Safe Return Ends Family’s Nightmare
A Michigan family is breathing easier now that a 16-year-old girl who went missing more than a month ago has been found.
Police in Dearborn Heights have launched an investigation after the girl was discovered inside the apartment of a 62-year-old man.
Teenage Girl Goes Missing For More Than a Month
Tasia Keaton disappeared from Vista Maria, a facility for vulnerable girls and women in Dearborn Heights on March 14. Trisha Wade is Keaton's aunt.
"I can finally breathe now," Wade <a href="https://www.wxyz.com/news/missing-16-year-old-found-living-with-62-year-old-man-for-a-month-in-dearborn-heights-apartment" target="_blank">tells WXYZ-TV.</a> "I had started suspecting the worst had happened because it had been so long."
Ahmed Haidar is the Chief of Police for Dearborn Heights. He believes the 62-year-old man found Keaton roaming the streets and promised her a home and financial support.
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"He provided her a cellphone to use, but he only allowed her to use it when he was present," Haidar said.
What Went on Inside That Man's Apartment?
The Chief of Police goes on to say that he believes Keaton was free to leave and wasn't being held hostage, but she was scared. Evidence at the man's apartment suggests that the man engaged in sexual relations with the 16-year-old girl.
The man is currently in police custody but reports indicate that he has not been cooperative with police.
Police and the girl's aunt are concerned about conditions at the women's center, suggesting that she may have been trying to escape from someone at the facility.
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