Police search for missing teen


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SALT LAKE CITY — A teen with medical issues is missing in Salt Lake City and has been without her medication since Tuesday.

Mhariana Acciaio was last seen at City Creek Center around 11 a.m. Tuesday when the Division of Child and Family Services dropped her off for the day. She is not in state custody, but DCFS offers voluntary services of families at their homes.

In this case, a parent gave permission for DCFS to drive Mharina from her house to nearby City Creek. DCFS spokeswoman Liz Sollis said her department would not have dropped her off alone if they believed it would put her safety at risk.

"If we felt it would put her at risk or they wouldn't have the ability to get around, then we would not have done it, even with permission," she said. "Their safety is our first priority. Our only role on that time on that day was provide the child a ride and drop them off downtown."

Thomas Acciaio said his daughter, 16-year-old Mharina, goes to City Creek almost every day during the summer to pass the time.

"She was supposed to come home by 8 o'clock at night. She was supposed to walk home by 8 — that's her daily routine," he said.

When she did not arrive, her father went looking for her until 4 a.m. Wednesday.

"I'm just really worried about her," he said. "I know she's a danger to herself right now. When she doesn't have her medication she does very risky things."

Description
  • 5 feet 2 inches tall
  • Brown hair
  • Brown eyes
  • Black tank top
  • Black sweat pants
  • Pink flip flops
Call 801-799-3000

Acciaio said his daughter functions at the level of a 5-year-old and has other health conditions. She is supposed to take her medication twice a day, every day. The last time she took her medication was Tuesday morning.

"She's got an IQ of 67 and she's bipolar," Acciaio said. "She's a danger to herself when she's unmedicated."

Mharina is 5-feet-2-inches tall, has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black tank top, black sweat pants and pink flip flops. Salt Lake City police said anyone who sees her is asked to call 801-799-3000.

A Facebook page, Find Mhariana Acciaio was also set up to raise awareness.

"I know that she is very trusting," Acciaio said. "She is naive and trusting, and she is basically functioning at a 5-year-old level."

Mharina has disappeared before and was gone for three days, but police were able to find her and take her home.

Contributing: Pat Reavy

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