Searchers Outraged That Missing Hesperia Girl Was Hiding Out
HESPERIA (AP) — People who spent hours searching for a Hesperia girl reported missing by her family say they were outraged to learn the 13-year-old's family gave authorities misleading information as she hid to avoid an alleged arranged marriage in Pakistan.
The girl's mother reported her daughter missing from her Hesperia home on Feb. 22, and told investigators she worried her daughter had run off with a sexual predator.
Her statement prompted a national kidnapping probe, but investigators said they later found out the girl was safely hiding in a hotel with the help of a relative who didn't want her to go to Pakistan.
A neighbor said Thursday that he felt "betrayed" by the girl's family, who San Bernardino County sheriff's investigators say gave misleading information.
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