Crime & Safety
Missing U. City Teen Found With Human Bites In La. Motel
Motel staff called police, who found the teen with a 27-year-old trucker he had reportedly met on the dating app Tinder.
UNIVERSITY CITY, MO — A missing University City teenager has been found more than 700 miles from home, KMOV reports. Police say the 16-year-old, who was reported missing in July, asked for help at a Super 8 motel off Interstate 10 near Duson, Louisiana, on Thursday. Motel staff called police, who found the teen with a 27-year-old trucker he had reportedly met on the dating app Tinder.
Officials say they suspect the teen may have been a victim of human trafficking.
Police say they tracked the teen from the St. Louis area first to North Carolina, then to California, then finally to Louisiana. They believe the pair had ultimately been headed to Miami, Florida.
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"The child was transported to a local medical facility where he was treated for scratches and what appear to be human bites," Duson Police Chief Kip Judice told local news station KLFY.
The teen was transported back to Missouri over the weekend by the National Human Trafficking Center and is now safely back with his family.
Find out what's happening in University Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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Photo by J. Ryne Danielson/Patch
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