Glendale police: No arrests made in Alicia Navarro’s disappearance

GLENDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Glendale police say no arrests have been made in connection to the disappearance of Alicia Navarro, the Arizona teen who resurfaced earlier this week after showing up at a Montana police station.

Despite some media reports and eyewitness accounts, police tell Arizona’s Family that as the investigation continues, four people have been questioned in the small town of Havre, Montana. As of Friday morning, no one has been detained and is currently facing charges. “We are requesting time and patience as we peel away the layers of the last four years,” Glendale police said in an update.

Police in Havre said Alicia Navarro, now 18, showed up alone Sunday morning in the town of about 9,200 people near the Canadian border and identified herself as a missing teenager from Glendale. Authorities in Arizona broke the news to the world on Wednesday.

After going missing for nearly four years, Glendale police held a news conference about Alicia Navarro being safely found.

Navarro’s disappearance on Sept. 15, 2019, sparked a massive search that included the FBI. Glendale police spokesperson Jose Santiago said over the years, police had received thousands of tips. When she disappeared, Navarro left a signed note that read: “I ran away. I will be back, I swear. I’m sorry.”

Rick Lieberg, who lives across the street, told the Associated Press that a woman resembled a photo of Navarro police had released. “She came out, talked to the officers, then two ladies pulled up, and then she got into a car with them, and they left,” Lieberg said.

Navarro’s family released a statement on Friday morning, saying in part, “You can never give up hope.”

We want to start by saying how happy we are that Alicia has been found alive and safe. It is a blessing that after being missing for so long Alicia can come back home. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families of missing loved ones that have not yet returned home. If there is anything that Alicia’s story has taught us is that you can never give up hope.
We would also like to thank the Glendale Police Department for their hard work and dedication to bringing Alicia home. Thank you to the entire Anti- Predator Project team not only for their hard work and dedication to bringing Alicia home but also for their commitment to supporting our family through these hard times. The local and national media has been so important the last several years in keeping Alicia's story alive and our family cannot say thank you enough for that. Finally, we would like to say thank you for all the love and support we have received from everyone around the country. It has helped our family through some very dark times, and we cannot say thank you enough. At this time, we are asking for some privacy so our family can begin the healing process and reclaim some normalcy. You have all been a blessing in our life and we wish you all the very best.
Sincerely.
Family of Alicia Navarro
Statement released Friday, July 28, 2023

Earlier this week, Arizona’s Family spoke with a former FBI agent who suggested Navarro “trauma bonded” based on the body language expressed during the two short clips shared by Glendale police. The former agent, who specialized in helping child victims, said there was something that stuck out to him right away.

“Regardless of whether or not she’s been diagnosed with autism, what strikes me is what I saw in many of the victims that I helped recover when I was working those cases,” said Jim Egleston. “And that is they often don’t recognize that they are a victim. It used to be referred to as Stockholm Syndrome. Now it’s referred to as trauma bonding.”

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.