An Indiana teenager was found safe after police said five undocumented migrants kidnapped the teen and took her across state lines to Missouri, authorities said.
Police in Logansport, approximately 80 miles north of Indianapolis, said five undocumented men drove into the city on Monday and picked up a 14-year-old girl they never met.
Detective Jason Rozzi with the Logansport Police Department said the sergeant handling the case called him in the middle of the night to "ping" the girl's phone -- to locate it by using GPS data or cell tower.
"I mean, I don't think they would have found her without it," Rozzi said. "So, yeah, it was a huge part of that whole scenario."
The "ping" helped police in Indiana locate the girl in Missouri -- just hours after she left.
Logansport police notified the Missouri State Highway Patrol of the teen's location, and one of their troopers pulled the vehicle over, said Cpl. Justin Dunn of the highway patrol.
"Obviously, they separate individuals during the course of that traffic stop to get everybody's side of the story and who they are and where they're traveling to and that was obviously done in that investigation," he said. "And through that, the person being in question as being reported missing..."
Local
One of the men had been communicating with the teenager through social media, authorities said.
Rozzi and Dunn asked parents -- no matter where you live -- to keep an eye on your kids' phones.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
"It's an eye opener, from what I deal with my kids to what I see out here," Rozzi said.
