Teen changes voicemail to get help and is found in hotel room with man, Utah cops say
When a Utah teenager went missing, their voicemail change alerted family that something was awry, deputies say.
Family members called 911 to report a Davis County teen missing in the afternoon on Sunday, March 3, the Davis County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 4 news release. The teen hadn’t been seen since the morning, officials said.
Family told deputies they tried calling the teenager’s cellphone and realized the voicemail greeting had changed.
They saw the change as “a distress signal based on conversations the family recently had about safety,” according to deputies.
Later that evening, the teen sent a text message to a family member and “shared their location,” deputies said.
Deputies said they responded to the address, a hotel, and found the teenager in a room with four adults.
The teen, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital for evaluation, deputies said.
After questioning, deputies said three of the adults were released, and one of the adults, Austin David Arnold, 36, was arrested.
Arnold, who officials said admitted traveling out of state from California to meet up with the teenager, was charged with enticing a minor and sexual abuse of a minor, deputies said.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming, according to deputies.
Davis County is about 18 miles northwest of Salt Lake City.
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