Havre, Mont – When Alicia Navarro disappeared from her suburban Phoenix home in 2019 just days before her 15th birthday, she left a signed note promising to return to her family.

“I will definitely be back, I swear,” the note read. “sorry.”

Believing she would keep her promise, Jessica Nunez never stopped searching for her daughter.

she paid for billboard ads in mexico There was a picture of my daughter for one year.she bought 10 more ads in Las Vegas. she spoke at the event media interview to raise awareness. She left flyers all over Glendale, including saloons, truck stops, and parks.

Nunez’s long-standing quest sunday is over When my daughter, now 18, turned herself in to a police station in a small town in Montana near the Canadian border and identified herself as a missing teenage boy.

Police said Navarro told police he was not injured or detained and could come and go as he pleased. They added that she has not faced any criminal charges.

Investigators are now trying to figure out what happened to Navarro after his disappearance and how he ended up in Harbor, Montana, more than 1,300 miles (2,090 kilometers) from his home.

A Glendale Police spokesman said Friday that no one was in custody in Mr Navarro’s disappearance. Gina Wynn declined to say whether investigators knew how long Mr. Navarro had been in Montana.

Glendale Police Lieutenant Scott Waite said at a press conference Wednesday that he was investigating any possible scenarios, including kidnapping, that could lead to Mr Navarro’s disappearance.

For years, Nunez expressed concern that Navarro, who was diagnosed with autism, was seduced by someone he met online.

In Harbr, a farmland-filled town of about 9,200 people north of the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation, Navarro’s daughter was seen, even though most people had never seen or heard of her. The conversation became a topic of discussion among residents. Witnesses also told the Associated Press that on Wednesday night, a team of heavily armed law enforcement officers broke into an apartment just a few blocks from the Havre police station and took a man into custody. rice field.

Around 8:00 pm, 10 uniformed police and undercover agents showed up and took me away in handcuffs. Rick Lieberg, who lives across the street, said the man lived in an apartment.

A young woman then emerged from her apartment (one of six units in a dilapidated building on a residential street), whom Lieberg said he had never seen before. She said the woman resembled a photo of Navarro released by police.

Next-door neighbor Jonathan Michelson said he was questioned Wednesday night by a plainclothes police officer from Arizona who asked him if he had seen a girl in the apartment next door. he said no.

“If she was in that apartment, I’m surprised I never met her,” Ms Michelson said.

Jeff Hammert, who works at Dollar Tree in Harbor, said he saw a young woman who resembled Mr. Navarro’s photo last year in a city park just up the street from the apartment police raided Wednesday. Hamart said she was walking alone with a Walmart plastic bag.

On Friday, at a coffee shop inside the Gary & Leo’s IGA grocery store in downtown Harbor, the story of how Navarro came to Montana became a hot topic among patrons. Few details were provided by officials, said former county coroner Steve Sapp, who participated in the discussion.

“When you’re in law enforcement, there are so many different stories about what happened that it’s hard to tell which is true,” Sapp said. “I really want to know more.”

Nunez declined an interview request. But over the years, she has documented her efforts to find her daughter in a shipwreck. Facebook page “Looking for Alicia” and audio podcasts. In a moving video that has been viewed more than 200,000 times since it was posted on Wednesday, Nunez told her tens of thousands of followers, “To all of you who have lost loved ones, use this incident as an example. I want, miracles exist, never give up.” Hope and always fight. “

Over the years, Nunez has amassed a loyal following on social media, sharing inspirational quotes, photos of Navarro when he was young, and posts addressed directly to his daughter.

“Alicia, I know you keep your promises,” Nunez wrote in one post. “I’ll be back.”

People across the country asked Arizona mothers how they could help, building an informal network of volunteers. They shared photos and information through their Facebook page.

Glendale Police said this week they had received thousands of calls over the years.

In a short video clip released by the Glendale Police Department, taken shortly after Navarro arrived at the Montana Police Department, she can be heard telling authorities that “nobody hurt me.” In another short video, Navarro thanked police.

“Thank you for offering me help,” she said.

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Yamato reports from Las Vegas.