Mum of girl who mysteriously reappeared after 4 years begs public to 'move on'

31 July 2023 , 17:37

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Mum of girl who mysteriously reappeared after 4 years begs public to 'move on'

The mother of a girl who mysteriously reappeared after being missing for four years has begged the public to "move on".

Alicia Navarro, now 18, disappeared from her home in a small town in Arizona in September 2019 - before reappearing hundreds of miles away in Montana, near the Canadian border. When she first went missing she left behind a note saying she would be back.

Mystery surrounds where Alicia has been since she vanished in September 2019. Officers at Glendale police station say she is "healthy and happy" despite feeling "overwhelmed". Investigators say this case is "far from over" but so far no charges have been brought.

Now, Alicia's mum Jessica Nuñez has asked the public to "move on" in a video posted to the 'Finding Alicia' Facebook group. In the video, she says: "I could never have kept going without all of your love, help and well wishes. I can’t even put into words the amount of gratitude I have for you all.

Alicia vanished when she was 14

“But now that we know Alicia is alive, I have to ask one more favour of you. I know you want answers and I do, too. But the public’s search for answers has taken a turn for the dangerous. I have been harassed, my family has been attacked all over the internet — the public has gone from trying to help Alicia to do things like trying to show up to her house and putting her safety in jeopardy."

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Police have also released a new photo taken of after she walked into a police station four years after going missing. The photo, which shows Alicia standing outside a police station, was taken when she arrived at the police station.

Ending her video plea for privacy, mum Jessica said: “So I beg you, please no more TikToks, no more reaching out to Alicia or to me with your speculation or questions or assumptions. This is not a movie, this is our life, this is my daughter. I love her more than anything in the world, and I think I have shown you that,” the disconsolate-looking mom adds. “There’s an ongoing investigation and I’m begging you to move on.”

Alicia's mum begged for TikTok sleuths to stop (Facebook / Jessica Nunez)

Alicia's mum Jessica said she had ben harassed in public (Facebook / Jessica Nunez)

Jose Santiago, media manager at the Glendale Police Department, told reporters: "I will tell you, just to be direct, she doesn't look much different than she did when she disappeared. She is 18 years old, she's getting ready to turn 19 but her appearance is that of a very young looking young lady."

The name of the town wasn’t immediately disclosed but Montana is more than 1,000 miles (1,609km) from Arizona. Police said Navarro told them that she hadn’t been harmed.

Alicia Navarro, the Arizona teen who unexpectedly turned up in Montana nearly four years after her disappearance, is being treated as a victim by the police, officials said (Finding Alicia/Facebook)

Mystery surrounds where Alicia has been since she vanished in September 2019 (Facebook)

Police added she wasn’t being held and could come and go as she pleased. She does not face any criminal charges, they added. When she disappeared from her home, Navarro left a signed note that read: “I ran away. I will be back, I swear. I’m sorry."

“She is by all accounts safe, she is by all accounts healthy, and she is by all accounts happy,” the police spokesman said.

Abigail O'Leary