PHOENIX — A 16-year-old girl reported missing to the Phoenix Police Department earlier this year has been recently found in another state and may have been a victim of sex trafficking, officials said.
The U.S. Marshals Service said the teenager was reported missing from a group home in April and had a history of being sex trafficked. The teen was determined to be in Los Angeles where her suspected trafficker was murdered on May 25, officials said.
The girl may have then been taken to Miami by another trafficker.
On June 11, the teen was located at a hotel in Michigan and a male associate was arrested. Homeland Security is continuing to investigate the suspected trafficking case.
The teen's recovery is one of the reported cases during the Marshals Service's recent "Operation We Will Find You 2," a six-week operation focusing on missing children that concluded on June 24.
The Marshals Service was involved in recovering 33 missing or endangered children from Arizona.
Information about a missing child should be reported to local authorities or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-The-Lost.
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