PHOENIX — The private investigator who has been working with Alicia Navarro's family for years is speaking out after the now 18-year-old missing teen was found alive in a small town in Montana. At this time, there are no suspects in custody.
Trent Steele started working with Jessica Nuñez in 2020 about six months after Alicia disappeared. Few people know her case better than him.
“It was a big surprise for everybody," Steele said. "But a good surprise, because it's got a much happier ending, I think, than what a lot of people expected.”
Steele is a private investigator and president of the Anti-Predator Project, an organization specializing in missing children cases.
In 2019, Alicia, who is on the Autism spectrum, disappeared when she was 14 years old. She left a note behind saying she ran away, she was sorry and she would be back.
Fast forward nearly four years later.
According to the police department in Havre, Montana, Alicia showed up to their police station on Sunday around 11 a.m. saying she was a missing person and asked for help in removing her name from a missing juvenile list.
"Alicia appeared to be fine and in good health," a Havre PD press release stated.
Glendale PD had to take unusual steps to confirm Alicia's identity. Detectives took a DNA sample, but there were no nearby facilities with the technology to run the sample in Montana. Police say FedEx only picks up in the area once a week.
To get answers as quickly as possible, a Glendale detective flew the sample to Denver. There, another Glendale officer from the Valley met them and picked up the sample. They brought it back to the Valley and to the DPS crime lab. Police say DPS ran the sample quickly and by Wednesday afternoon, it was confirmed to be a match.
Now, Steele said his investigation changes. It's now focused on unraveling the web of the past four years.
"When somebody has been gone for the amount of time that she's been gone, you have to go back and rebuild the last three or four years of her life," Steele explained. "Find out what's been going on, where she's been, who she's been with, and that's going to be a process. It's going to take some time."
So far, Glendale PD, the lead investigative agency, said no one is facing charges in connection to the case and no one has been detained or in custody. Officials added that numerous interviews have been conducted.
“How likely is it that a 14-year-old makes it to Montana and goes close to four years by herself?” asked 12News reporter Bianca Buono.
“The obvious answer is she probably had help," Steele responded. "Who helped her? We have no idea. For all we know, it could be a group of kids her own age that just all got together and we have no idea.”
After she showed up at the Havre Police Department, officers there notified Glendale PD who spoke with Alicia over FaceTime. Glendale PD shared a small portion of one of their conversations.
"Did anybody hurt you in any way?" asked Glendale PD.
"No, no one hurt me," Alicia responded.
Steele said the fact that Alicia was a minor when she went missing and is now an adult can possibly complicate the investigation.
"It creates some legal barriers in the event that there happened to be criminal charges. It creates investigative barriers," Steele said. "It definitely complicates things. It's a unique situation."
The stunning discovery has been overwhelming for Jessica Nuñez. She has desperately searched for her daughter since the day she went missing. Steele said he has talked to her every couple of hours since the news broke.
“I think she's in shock. She's a little bit overwhelmed," Steele said. "I think she just needs a minute to kind of take all this in."
A team from Glendale PD is now in Montana where Alicia remains.
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