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A 13-year-old Edmonton girl who went missing more than a week ago has been found in Oregon.
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Edmonton police said in a news release that Lila Smith was found Saturday morning. Her family has been notified and arrangements are being made to return her to Edmonton.
The teenager was taken to Oregon Children’s Hospital for a precautionary evaluation, police said.
A 41-year-old Oregon man has been arrested and is expected to be charged with child luring, the release said. Other charges may be added as the investigation continues.
A family friend said in an email to Postmedia that Smith’s family was heading to Oregon to meet the teenager.
“They are getting on a plane as we speak … but please know that we are very grateful for everyone’s help and support.”
Smith went missing on June 24 after leaving for school.
Edmonton police will hold a press conference later Saturday morning to provide additional details about how the girl was found. Many law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were involved in the search.
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“This investigation was successful thanks to the many partners involved, including various specialized units of the Edmonton Police Service as well as ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams), ICE Northern Alberta Unit, RCMP, Abbotsford Police, Customs and Border Protection US Patrol, CBSA, Gladstone (Oregon) Police, Oregon City Police and the FBI,” EPS said in a statement.
The publication did not provide further details on where in Oregon the teenager was found or how she crossed the border.
Edmonton police have faced questions about why an AMBER Alert was not issued in the case.
“In the initial stages of this investigation, there was no evidence to suggest that she was with anyone, so this file did not meet the criteria,” Staff Sgt. James Vanderland of the EPS Historical Crimes Unit said in the release.
“An AMBER Alert was being prepared after we confirmed credible information about the suspect’s identity, location and vehicle description; however, we have been advised that the suspect is no longer in Canada, so an AMBER Alert is no longer possible.
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