Missing Utah Teen Found Safe 500 Miles Away After Six Weeks

After six weeks of searching, 15-year-old Alisa Petrov from South Jordan, Utah, has been found safe in Colorado Springs, nearly 500 miles away from her hometown.

The missing teenager stunned authorities when she walked into the Stetson Hills police station on Sunday evening, identified herself, and confirmed she was safe and unharmed.

While Alisa appeared to be in good health, investigators are still working to determine how she arrived at the station and whether she may have been held against her will during her disappearance.

Authorities quickly contacted Alisa’s parents, Nikolai and Olga Petrov, who are now making arrangements to bring their daughter back home.

“We are all really happy that Alisa is found and looking forward to seeing her,” Nikolai shared on social media.

The family expressed gratitude to the South Jordan Police Department and the FBI in Salt Lake City for their dedicated efforts throughout the search.

Ongoing Investigation

The circumstances behind Alisa’s disappearance remain under investigation.

According to official reports, two days before she vanished, Alisa had been communicating online with three adult men, engaging in inappropriate and explicit conversations. These exchanges were later discovered on a hidden iPad in her room.

One of the men, Matthew Nicholas Menard, 35, was reportedly the person Alisa planned to meet in Las Vegas, after traveling by train and bus through multiple states.

Her mother, Olga, admitted that although they monitored her phone regularly, they were unaware of her secret online activity. “We never thought she could be talking to strangers in this way… but she was sneaky, and we didn’t know. I wish we figured this out sooner and could help her,” she said.

Although Alisa is now safe, authorities are continuing their investigation to uncover the full story of what happened during her six-week disappearance.

The men involved are now facing charges for their inappropriate communication with a minor.