Girl abducted at Washington mall in 2018 found safe in Mexico, FBI says

Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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An abducted American girl who disappeared more than four years ago has been found in Mexico, U.S. federal agents announced on Wednesday.

Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez, who is now 8, was last seen at a mall in Vancouver, Washington, when she was 4 years old, the FBI Seattle office reported.

Special agents said Aranza was kidnapped by her biological mother on Oct. 25, 2018 and the FBI had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her safe recovery.

Agents took Aranza's mother into custody in September 2019 in Puebla, Mexico, but the girl remained missing.

The FBI said agents were ultimately able to determine that Aranza had been taken to Mexico.

Authorities said the girl was located in the state of Michoacán, in western Mexico, and FBI special agents escorted her back to the United States last month.

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Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez, who is now 8, was last seen  at a mall in Vancouver, Washington, when she was 4 years old, the FBI Seattle office reported. She was safely located in Mexico in 2023.
Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez, who is now 8, was last seen at a mall in Vancouver, Washington, when she was 4 years old, the FBI Seattle office reported. She was safely located in Mexico in 2023.

"Aranza’s safety and privacy is of utmost importance," the agency wrote in a news release. "Her location in the U.S. is not being disclosed, and no additional information will be released at this time."

The FBI did not release the name of the girl's mother.

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A girl from Washington who went missing in 2018 has been found in Mexico, the FBI announced on March 10, 2023. Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez had last been seen at a mall in Vancouver, Washington, when she was 4 years old.
A girl from Washington who went missing in 2018 has been found in Mexico, the FBI announced on March 10, 2023. Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez had last been seen at a mall in Vancouver, Washington, when she was 4 years old.

“For more than four years, the FBI and our partners did not give up on Aranza,” said Richard A. Collodi, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “Our concern now will be supporting Aranza as she begins her reintegration into the U.S.”

The FBI said it was assisted by Vancouver Police Department; Washington state’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families; Fiscalía General del Estado de Michoacán and the Instituto Nacional de Migración in the search and recovery of the girl.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 8 year old girl kidnapped from Washington mall found safe in Mexico