RICH COUNTY — Law enforcement has canceled an alert for a missing teenage girl from Garden City. Monday afternoon the Rich County Sheriff’s Office announced the 16-year-old had been located “alive and safe.”
Stormy Wilkinson had last been seen Sunday afternoon at Bear Lake Laundry in Garden City, where she works. Deputies said a man, who has not been identified, showed up at the laundromat and she left with him. She reportedly messaged her parents and told them she would not be coming home.
The sheriff’s office said Monday that Wilkinson was located in Billings, Montana. Officials have not released any information on the man she allegedly left the state with.
It is believed that he is in his 20s and from North Dakota. Authorities said he may have even driven from there to pick her up.
“The Rich County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all of you who shared this post and helped locate (the teen),” according to a statement issued just before 12:30 p.m. Monday. “Without your help, she would not have been located.”
The unidentified man allegedly showed up at Wilkinson’s work on Sunday, and she left with him around 4:20 p.m. The two had reportedly been talking on the internet. Investigators said her phone was found near her place of work.
The sheriff’s office said Monday, “Special thanks to a number of our local businesses, in-state, out-of-state and federal law enforcement agencies. Huge thank you to all the news and media agencies.”
Deputies believed the two were in a red or maroon-colored car with a white front bumper. Photos of the vehicle showed damage to the rear bumper. The car was reportedly spotted Sunday afternoon traveling east on State Route 30 in Laketown, which is located southeast of Garden City.
Photo: Rich County Sheriff’s Office