DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. – A 16-year-old is safe after she was found in an older man’s Dearborn Heights apartment, police said.
The teen was found in an apartment at Warren and Inkster on Wednesday, April 23, after she reportedly ran away from Vista Maria, a treatment facility for girls, on March 14. Tips from the community led investigators to the apartment.
“It’s an amazing day for us,” Dearborn Heights Police Chief Ahmed Haidar said in an interview with Local 4. “We had a lot of partners involved that came in and assisted us, but we were able to locate her today. She’s healthy, she’s fine. We are going to complete a SANE (sexual assault nurse exam) kit.”
Haidar said a 62-year-old man is in custody.
“It’s an ongoing investigation, but he’s in custody and we plan on doing interviews with him sometime later on today, and wherever it goes from there, we will submit a warrant to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office,” said Haidar.
The chief also said they’re going to continue to investigate everything else they learned during this investigation.
“Everything that’s been brought to light to us, we’re going to follow up, and as soon as we get really good information and there’s enough to submit a warrant on these individuals, or the staff members, whoever it is, we will be submitting warrants,” said Haidar.
A police press conference is scheduled for Thursday, April 24.
The 16-year-old’s family is relieved that she’s safe, but also angry, because they said they didn’t know that she had been missing until a few days later.
“Them saying that their heart goes out to me and my family, I don’t believe it,” the teen’s aunt said. “They didn’t call me when she first went missing.”
Here’s the statement Vista Maria released after the teen was found:
“All of us at Vista Maria are relieved and grateful that [Name Removed] has been found and is safe and receiving support. Our thanks go out to the many law enforcement agencies that worked hard to find her, especially the Dearborn Heights Police Department. We appreciate the outpouring of support from the community, including the many tips that helped the police in their search. Vista Maria stands ready to support [Name Removed] and her family in any way we can in the future.”
Vista Maria Spokesperson
The 16-year-old left Vista Maria on March 14 and was last seen on March 17 on gas station surveillance near the area of Beech Daly and Joy Road before she was found.
As police investigated her disappearance, they revealed that the department had received hundreds of calls involving Vista Maria in the past year.
“In 2024 alone, we’ve had 368 calls for service at that location,” Haidar said. “These include assault and battery, fights, staff being assaulted, and juveniles out of control. Our officers have used force in some cases, and we’ve seen injuries ranging from fingers to backs and ankles. It’s a major drain on our manpower.”
Police also said there are two active sexual assault investigations involving two teen residents and a man who used to work at Vista Maria.
During the investigation, several former residents came forward with allegations of abuse.
Note: We are not naming the teen online or using photos of her that haven’t been blurred now that she has been found.
