After an eleven-day search, Liliana Munguía, a 17-year-old from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, has been found safe in the suburban city of Ankeny, Iowa. According to a Facebook update from the Gila River Police Department, she had been reported missing on August 6 after apparently traveling to meet a 20-year-old man she had been speaking with online. The teen was located near Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, an effort brought to fruition through the collaboration between various departments and agencies, ABC15 reported.
This case drew resources from multiple fronts, including the FBI's Phoenix and Omaha field offices, Ankeny and Des Moines police departments, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Iowa State Gang Task Force, and Gila River Crime Victims Services. Officials have apprehended Malachi Reed, the man believed to be at the center of this incident. Charges are pending against Reed, yet the specifics have yet to be disclosed, 12News reports.
Liliana's disappearance had raised alarms, echoing the persistent and pressing issue of missing and murdered Indigenous persons across the nation. Gila River Police Chief Jesse Crabtree acknowledged the extensive cooperation between agencies, expressing his gratitude for "the quick response and coordinated efforts of all agencies involved," ABC15 detailed.
Juan Munguía, Liliana's father, had taken matters into his own hands, driving to Iowa as soon as he was aware his daughter had traveled there to search for her. In an interview, he conveyed his perplexity regarding how Liliana came to know Reed or the duration of their online communication, saying, “She spoke to them and she's been speaking to them for quite some time and she must have made plans with them, or I can't, I can't imagine what headspace she was in,” as reported by 12News.
