Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Sandra Yi ReportingAuthorities in Salt Lake County have found a teenage girl they reported as endangered.
The good news is Ginna A. Pineda does appear to be safe. Around 3 p.m., the couple's car was stopped just outside Las Cruces, N.M. They were in a different vehicle than what was originally reported, but the FBI had the idea to stop every vehicle with Utah plates, and that's how they found them.
Investigators focused their search in New Mexico after the girl's family received text messages saying they were in New Mexico and were possibly on their way to Mexico. Those messages gave police their best information.
Lt. Paul Jaroscak, with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office said, "There were hints and clues in that text messaging as to where they were. We knew at one point, we believed they were in Colorado, another time they were in New Mexico."
Those messages also led investigators to believe that Pineda was kidnapped and possibly in danger. They believe she left her house, which is in the area of 1000 East and 10600 South, with her boyfriend, out of fear for hers or her family's safety.
Family members told police that her boyfriend had been verbally abusive in the past, and they recently kicked him out of their home.
Authorities in New Mexico are now interviewing the couple trying to figure out exactly what happened, and police tell us the boyfriend could face charges in this case.
