A 14-year-old girl reported missing from her Mount Vernon home the first week of January was found safe in Michigan.
The Mount Vernon Police Department announced Thursday that Ella Jones had been located in South Haven, Mich., after the department "received information as to the identity of 'Keith,' who had been previously talked about publicly," Lt. Dave Shackleton said in an MVPD news release.
Investigators learned the girl may have used a Mount Vernon ride share service. Since such service is limited in the town, they identified a specific ride she may have taken and linked it to a South Haven address.
Mount Vernon police then contacted the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office in Michigan, who visited the address and found the girl safe. A 30-year-old male, whom authorities have yet to identify, was taken into custody and is being detained in Michigan.
The man faces potential charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, failure to comply with the Sexual Offender Registry Act, and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Once they learned the girl was safe, Mount Vernon police immediately contacted her parents, "who were elated with the news."
