Update: 5:15 p.m.
SALT LAKE CITY — Police in Texas have located Areli Arroyo Osuna, the 14-year-old from Magna, who was the subject of an Amber alert Tuesday morning.
Currently, she is in the custody of police. The suspect, 20-year-old David Lopez, is also in police custody.
Detectives from Unified Police are traveling to Texas to continue their investigation, police say.
Further information will be provided upon their return, according to a social media post by Unified Police.
Our previous reporting
SALT LAKE CITY — Police have issued an Amber Alert for 14-year-old Areli Arroyo Osuna of Magna.
Speaking on KSL NewsRadio, Unified Police Sgt. Melody Culter said they believe Osuna is in serious danger, that she went with the suspect willingly but that there was also coercion and threats.
The Unified Police Department says Areli Arroyo Osuna is believed to be with a man named David Lopez, who is not a member of her family. Police believe he may be driving an older model Nissan Altima. By late morning on Tuesday, police did not have the year of the car or a license plate number. At first, Cutler says they thought Areli ran away with Lopez, willingly. However, the more they investigated, the more they believed she wasn’t a willing participant.
“We believe our suspect, possibly David Lopez, may have coerced her into leaving,” Cutler said.
Investigators now believe Areli is in danger, and that the two may be heading to Texas or Mexico. Police aren’t even certain is Lopez is the suspect’s real name.
“The reality is that we don’t know who this individual is. We have found at least one other name for him, so we’re not exactly sure who he is or what his intent is with this young girl,” according to Cutler. “Just her age and his age and taking her across state lines constitutes kidnapping.”
Areli and Lopez reportedly met on social media just a few months ago. Cutler says kids may feel their social media accounts are their last refuge for privacy, but she says parents need to closely watch what their kids are saying online and who they’re speaking with.
“You’ve got to talk to your kids and be open and honest with them. Don’t talk to strangers, not just in person but stay away from them on social media,” Cutler said. “These predators are very good at grooming children and getting them to do things that they wouldn’t normally do.”
Areli Arroyo Osuna is described as having brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing denim pants and a denim jacket with white Nikes, a black shirt, and carrying a large white bag.
She’s about 4 foot 7 and weighs around 90 pounds.
The suspect was driving a black Nissan Altima.
If you have information that may help the police, please call 911.