Update: Police locate missing Hesperia teen after mall disappearance

Charlie McGee, Victorville Daily Press
·1 min read
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Aniyah Star Hernandez, 14, reportedly left the Mall of Victor Valley alone on Saturday and hadn't been seen or heard from since as of a day later.
Aniyah Star Hernandez, 14, reportedly left the Mall of Victor Valley alone on Saturday and hadn't been seen or heard from since as of a day later.

Authorities have located Aniyah Star Hernandez, 14, of Hesperia, less than two days after she'd reportedly gone missing and soon after requesting help from the public in their weekend search, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff's update Monday morning.

"She is safe and has been reunited with her family," the Monday advisory stated. "Thank you to the community who shared information and called with potential tips to help find Aniyah."

The sheriff's department had asked the public for help in a search for Hernandez via a public advisory Sunday, which said she'd been missing since Saturday and had last been seen at the Mall of Victor Valley.

Hernandez had reportedly left the mall in Victorville on her own prior to the time at which she and a family member were supposed to be picked up by a parent, according to the sheriff's office. That was the last time she'd been seen or heard from, officials said Sunday. Sheriff's deputies arrived at the mall Saturday to investigate Hernandez' disappearance as a missing-person case that remained active the next day.

"Aniyah may be in Victorville or may have returned to Hesperia," the Sunday advisory said. Details offered by sheriff's deputies to describe the teen in their initial advisory included:

  • Height: 4 feet, 11 inches

  • Weight: 160 pounds

  • Hair: brown

  • Eyes: brown

  • Last seen wearing: black shirt; tan pants; white Croc shoes

"Anyone with information is asked to contact Deputy J. Greterman at the Victorville Police Department at (760) 241-2911 or sheriff’s dispatch at (760) 956-5001. Anonymous tips can be left at the We-Tip Hotline, 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or information can be left on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com."

Charlie McGee covers California’s High Desert for the Daily Press, focusing on the city of Barstow and its surrounding communities. He is also a Report for America corps member with The GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and around the world. McGee may be reached at 760-955-5341 or cmcgee@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @bycharliemcgee.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Police locate missing Hesperia teen after mall disappearance