Detectives and officers from the Long Beach PoliceDepartment found and rescued a missing 14-year-old girl who may have been a human trafficking victim, authorities said on Saturday.
The LBPD received a report about the missing girl Friday and began trying to find her, according to an LBPD statement.
They found her in Los Angeles within a few hours and brought her back to Long Beach, where the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services took over to facilitate her return home, police said. It was unclear what led police to believe she was being trafficked.
“Human trafficking and the exploitation of children will never be tolerated in our community and the Long Beach Police Department will use all available resources to rescue the vulnerable victims of this reprehensible criminal activity,” said Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish.