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One person booked into jail after missing Gunnison teen found safe in Cedar City

Posted at 3:38 PM, Jul 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-29 17:38:12-04

GUNNISON VALLEY, Utah — One person has been booked into jail in southern Utah after a 17-year-old girl who was reported missing out of Gunnison Valley was later found in Cedar City.

Lindsey Pearson, 17, was reported missing Thursday after she failed to return home from work. Her bicycle was found at the Gunnison High School Football field.

Police say they’ve learned that Pearson went to the local seminary building in order to connect to WiFi and make a phone call, and from there police say she rode her bike to the football field and was picked up by some adult suspects. Authorities are still investigating to determine who the girl called.

“Police have found several suspects complicit in taking Lindsey out of the Gunnison Valley area and away from her custodial parent who resides in Centerfield, UT,” the press release from police states.

Police said they were assisted by local and federal officials as they attempted to “navigate the complicated scheme the conspirators concocted and were able to take Lindsey and then attempt to ‘hide her out’ in Cedar City.”

Gunnison Valley PD traveled to Beaver, Utah and made one arrest in connection with the case. They then traveled to Cedar City to meet with officers there. Cedar City PD opted to let SUU Police handle the case to avoid what they felt might be a potential conflict of interest, and SUU Police found Lindsey safe at an apartment complex off of campus in Cedar City.

The release states the FBI was able to speak with Lindsey prior to Gunnison Valley PD arriving in Cedar City. The girl has been taken back to her family in Centerfield and she is safe.

One person has been booked into the Sanpete County Jail, and police say they will be working with the Sanpete County Attorney’s Office and may bring “further multiple charges on multiple persons.” Police did not identify the individual who was booked, and they did not offer any specific details about the charges that individual was booked on.

Gunnison Valley PD thanked the FBI field offices in Provo and St. George for their assistance, as well as the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office and the SUU Police Department for bringing the case to a quick and safe conclusion.