RIVERDALE, Utah — Riverdale Police along with the help of several other law enforcement agencies have located a missing 17-year-old in the Brigham City Canyon area, Riverdale Police announced Sunday night.
Officers believe the teen, who is an exchange student from China, was isolating himself in a tent at the direction of cyber kidnappers.
After learning that he had visited the area, and due to concern about his welfare, Riverdale Police contacted the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, which deployed its search and rescue drone team.
They began searching overnight Saturday for the possible campsite of the juvenile.
Utah DPS Aero Bureau was also deployed to search a very large area along the Wasatch front in Brigham City.
Brigham City police also assisted in the search efforts.
Riverdale Police Detective Sergeant Engstrom hiked on foot up the mountainside and came across the victim’s tent in a wooded area. Sergeant Engstrom contacted the victim inside the tent and found he was alive but very cold and scared.
The victim was relieved to see police. He had no heat source inside the tent, only a heat blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water and several phones that were presumed to be used to carry out the cyber kidnapping.
Brigham City Fire Department responded to the scene and checked the victim for hyperthermia and cleared him from any major medical concerns.
Due to the false kidnapping scheme, his Chinese parents ended up transferring approximately $80,000 American dollars to bank accounts in China due to the fake threats.
The victim only wanted to speak to his family to ensure they were safe and requested a warm cheeseburger, both of which were accomplished on the way back to Riverdale.
The investigation is ongoing.
The Riverdale Police Department wants to inform the public in regard to cyber kidnapping.
If you become a target of cyber kidnapping, please contact your local police department immediately. Do not send money, discontinue contact with the suspects, and contact police immediately.
The teen had been reported missing Thursday, December 28. The school where he was attending had notified the family he is staying with that there may have been a kidnapping. His parents who live in China say they had received a photo and a note saying their son had been kidnapped and a ransom had been demanded.
On Saturday, Riverdale police said their investigation had led them to believe that the teen may be camping somewhere along the Wasatch Front. They provided photos of camping gear, including a tent, that he had recently purchased. Police could not account for that gear, leading them to believe he was using it to camp out. Authorities expressed their concern for the teen if he is indeed camping in the extreme cold weather. They asked people to keep an eye out for him in wooded areas and camping spots.
Provo Police reported that on December 20, officers had made contact with the teen who told them he wanted to go camping.
