Amber Alert cancelled: Arizona teen who disappeared after getting into a car with middle-age man found safe
Authorities in Arizona announced that a 16-year-old boy, who had disappeared from Holbrook, was found safe shortly after an Amber Alert was issued for him on Tuesday. The boy, identified as Kaleb Gardner Smith, had disappeared after he was seen getting into a car with a middle-aged man, reports state.
Although no details of his current circumstances have been released by investigators, it was earlier revealed that they began looking for the teen after he did not return home from a morning run.
Police had stated that Smith went out for a run in the morning and had contacted his family through messenger a short time later. However, he neither returned home, nor did he show up at his workplace.
After probing, officials looked at a security camera outside Holbrook High School — where Smith is a student — which showed him getting into a rented black Dodge Charger with Tennessee license plates around 7 am.
Detectives, at the time of Smith's disappearance, had believed that he might be in the company of an unidentified white male in his 50s or 60s with balding hair, according to the Daily Mail. Several members of the teen's family issued their own pleas for information on social media, asking anyone with any knowledge about his whereabouts to come forward.
The Holbrook Police Department had also taken to their Facebook page to seek assistance from the public for any clues about the teen's whereabouts. They wrote a post, saying: "The Holbrook Police Department and the parents of Kaleb Smith are asking for the public's assistance. Kaleb left his residence this morning to go on a run, wearing a red shirt and black shorts. He contacted his family a short time later via messenger and has not returned home or to work. We are asking the public and his friends, if you have any information as to where Kaleb is, let us know. Kaleb is not in any criminal trouble and his family just wants to know where he is at and that he is safe."
Kaleb's sister, Ashleigh Pedersen, in a post on Facebook, wrote that police were aware of the suspect's name and that he had reportedly rented the car Kaleb was seen getting into. She, however, did not reveal whether the man was known to the family or not.
"If you are or know anyone who is [in Arizona] and see's my (taller than me) little brother or this vehicle please let me or my mom know! We just want him to be found and safe!" Pedersen wrote in her post about the Amber Alert. She described her brother as 5'7" and about 110lbs with brown hair and brown eyes.
Although the alert has been canceled, no information on the suspect or the circumstances of Smith's disappearance has been released yet, according to reports.
The Holbrook Police Department, later in the day, also updated their Facebook post, letting the residents know of the status of alert, writing: "Update. Kaleb has been located safe. Update."