Authorities have found the missing 14-year-old girl from Hollister in Lodi, but police did not apprehend a man suspected of being with her.
Police on Thursday reported the teen as missing. They followed up by noting a person of interest, a man named Jose C. Arellano with an estimated age between 35 and 38.
Local authorities worked with Lodi police to find the girl in the 700 block of West Kettleman Lane in Lodi after learning Arellano’s truck had been parked in a lot nearby. Through information from the teen girl, police identified a possible location for Arellano at the intersection of Highway 12 and Interstate 5 – about six miles from the spot where police found the girl.
Police believe Arellano had fled by the time they arrived. Authorities seized his truck and continue searching for him.
That result may not have happened without a detective’s “relationship” with the family, according to a statement from the police chief.
According to the police statement:
The person of interest, Jose C Arellano is still outstanding. He is described as a Hispanic male, 5’ 10”, light skin, medium build. Arellano is still wanted for questioning. The Hollister Police Department has seized the Arellano’s truck and will be processing it for evidence with the Department of Justice.
The Hollister Police Department would like to acknowledge and thank the California Highway Patrol – Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center, FBI, Department of Justice, Lodi Police Department, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, UNET, San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Staples, Homeless Coalition of San Benito County, Hollister Kidz Crew and the hundreds of volunteers from our community that did area searches and distributed flyers.
‘I would like to acknowledge the relationship between Det. Morris and the missing person’s family, without that relationship we would have had a difficult time coming to this positive conclusion. We’ve worked very long hours on this case, some of our officers / detectives worked an almost 30 straight hour stretch before we found her. I want to thank our officers for continuing to provide excellent service to the community while we were out looking for her. Additionally I want to thank all of the community members who helped distribute flyers. I’m very proud of our community. I would ask the media and public to give the family some privacy during this difficult time.’ – Chief Westrick
For those with information regarding this case, please call Detective Erik Morris at the Hollister Police Department 636-4330. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call WeTip at (800) 78-CRIME. Information provided to WeTip may qualify for a reward.”
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