Man ‘taken into custody’ near where missing Alicia Navarro was found four years after she vanished as a teen
QUESTIONS continue to linger around the disappearance of missing teen Alicia Navarro after a man was taken away in handcuffs near to where she was found four years later.
A dramatic scene unfolded in Havre, Montana, with up to 10 uniformed and undercover cops swarming an apartment a few blocks from the police station where she turned up.
Neighbors described police arriving at the building at around 8pm on Wednesday, before taking the unidentified man into custody.
A young woman is reported to have emerged from the apartment later, with local resident Rick Lieberg telling the Associated Press she looked like Navarro.
Questions continue to swirl over the Arizona teen, who was missing for four years before she showed up in Montana at a local police station on Sunday.
Glendale Police Department spokesperson Jose Santiago announced her sudden reappearance during a press conference on Wednesday, insisting “she is by all accounts safe.
“She is by all accounts healthy and she is by all accounts happy,” he added.
“She went to a local police department in that area, she identified herself as Alicia Navarro, and at that point, our officers went into investigation mode.”
The teen’s mom, Jessica Nunez, however, said she has still not seen her daughter in person, telling Fox10’s Justin Lum she only spoke with her for one minute on FaceTime to confirm her identity.
Glendale Police Department, meanwhile, have served a search warrant in Montana, near to where Alicia Navarro was found, Abc15 reports.
Jonathan Michaelson, who lives next door to the man who taking away by cops on Wednesday, said he was questioned at the scene.
He said the officer asked him if he had ever seen a girl at the apartment, but he had not.
Neighbor Rick Lieberg also said he had never seen the young woman who left the apartment on Wednesday.
Four people are said to have been interviewed in relation to Navarro’s disappearance so far, however, no one is in custody at the moment.
Investigators are working to establish exactly what happened to the teenager, who disappeared in September 2019.
Her mother, Jennifer Nunez, told KNXV that she believed Navarro was lured away after receiving a note from the teen.
“I ran away. I will be back. I swear. I’m sorry,” the message said at the time.
Her disappearance prompted a frantic search spearheaded by the FBI.
Officer Santiago said on Wednesday the force had received thousands of tips on the case.
Since her return, Navarro has insisted no one hurt her.
Police are continuing to investigate.