Missing Edmonton teen found safe in Oregon, U.S. man facing charges
A 13-year-old girl from Edmonton who had been missing for more than a week was safely located in Oregon, where a man, 40, is in police custody and facing charges.
On Saturday morning, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) announced that after an international investigation, law enforcement arrested the man near Portland and that the girl had been taken to a children's hospital for precautionary reasons.
Family members were notified early Saturday that the missing youth had been located in Oregon City, with her parents already leaving to visit her.
The girl, who is no longer being identified due to being a youth victim of crime, went missing on June 24 after taking the bus to her junior high school. Her parents were later notified that evening she had not attended any classes.
"This was an intensive investigation right from the beginning," said EPS Insp. Brent Dahlseide.
Dahlseide, the head of Edmonton's major crimes branch, said investigators were assisted by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams, RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency, FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Oregon City Police, and Gladstone Police.
According to Dahlseide, forthcoming child luring charges stemmed from evidence the EPS gathered, with further charges expected to be laid by American law enforcement agencies. The Portland FBI field office confirmed to CTV News that Noah Madrano is being held on state charges laid by Oregon City Police.
"As this investigation progresses, with the support of our child protection section, there will be, I anticipate, numerous charges that will be forthcoming in relation to this," Dahlseide said.
"This is a happy ending to an investigation that was exhaustive, a very heavy week for family and friends as well, not knowing where (she) was," he added.
In a social media post, the girl's father said family members were "full of happiness and love," thanking the efforts of community members in raising awareness about his missing daughter.
PUTTING THE MOVEMENTS TOGETHER
While the girl had been located safely, Dahlseide said the investigation to uncover all the details from the incident continues.
"It's a unique investigation in that we don't have very many times like this where we are going across international borders," Dahlseide said.
"It's unique enough to go province to province, but to facilitate something like this in the United States through our partners, there is something that is unique and took a lot of coordinated effort."
It is not known how the girl crossed the border into the U.S. and how long the 40-year-old was in contact with her online beforehand.
When asked why an Amber Alert was not issued, Dahlseide said the criteria for an alert were not met, with investigators only having a potential suspect vehicle description on Friday.
At that point, EPS was drafting an alert when it was notified that the man was no longer in Canada, making an alert "no longer feasible," said Staff Sgt. James Vanderland of EPS' Historical Crimes Section.
Investigators believe the man had been in Edmonton, but are still trying to trace his full movements into Canada and out of the country.
"We as an investigative team are going to learn more in the next days here," Dahlseide said.
EPS said investigators believe the man was in Mission, B.C., for a few days. Const. Paul Walker, with the Abbotsford Police Department, confirmed to CTV News that EPS reached out on Friday, indicating that the girl may have been at a fast-food restaurant there.
"Our front-line officers attended this location and obtained CCTV from the business confirming that the girl and the suspect had been in the restaurant," Walker said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the girl and the suspect had already departed this location prior to police arrival."
Dahlseide thanked the public for all the tips provided to law enforcement to aid the investigation.
"As the investigation progressed, we received countless tips from all over Canada," he said.
"I'd rather have 200 that we needed to sift through and discount 199 of them to be able to find one then to get zero tips and literally have nowhere to go."
CTV News Edmonton has contacted the other American law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation for comment.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb and Steven Dyer
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.