Police Close Investigation into Farmington Teen's Two-Day Disappearance

Police have closed the investigation into the circumstances behind the two-day disappearance of Farmington teen Juliette Lyon.

Farmington police Capt. Marshall Porter wrote in an email to Patch that there was "no reason to believe she left unwillingly."

Police found Lyon, 15, in Hartford on the evening of July 20, hours after State Police issued a Silver Alert. She was uninjured and was returned safely to her parents. 

The Hartford Courant and FOX CT reported days later that Farmington police had launched a criminal investigation and that sources had told them the teen may not have left town voluntarily. But Farmington police said that was not the case and found no evidence to back that information. No arrests are expected in the case.

"The Farmington Police Department is not investigating any criminal violations with regard to this case," Lt. Colin Ryan, spokesman for the police department, wrote in an email to Patch.

While police did not discover a criminal element to be involved in Lyon's disappearance from town, Ryan does have these safety tips for children and teens out and about in town unsupervised.

"The short answer is there isn't a specific bad guy out there waiting to prey on children," Ryan said. "However,  a very low percentage of society can be considered a threat in certain scenarios and teenagers should practice fundamental safety guidelines such as going places in groups of two or more,  not walking alone especially in unfamiliar areas, and after dark, having cell phones with charged batteries in the event they need to call for help, and letting their parents know where they are going and who they are going to be with."

Ryan said that it's particularly important for teens to let someone know where they're going in the event something does happen because "it gives the police some investigative avenues very early on in an investigation" into missing person reports and "well-being type cases." 

"Farmington is a safe community where teenagers can be teenagers, but their safety is a combination of them making good choices coupled with parental guidance and police support," Ryan said.