SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — There has been a general feeling of relief after a missing 15-year-old girl from South Jordan was located over the weekend after going missing for nearly six weeks, but officials say the real work is now beginning.
“There’s going to be a lot of agencies working together, and this case is really, just getting started,” explained retired FBI agent Greg Rogers.
The search for the teen began the day she disappeared on April 21 and ended Sunday when she reached out to police in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“[Authorities are] going to want to determine clearly who she met with in Colorado Springs, where she was staying. What happened while she was staying there,” Rogers said.
When it comes to missing and endangered teens, Rogers knows how extensive resources go when attempting to find a child who has disappeared.
“It’s a big number," he said. "You’ve literally had state, local, federal agents working around the clock on this case.”
The teen's family will also be involved in figuring out where the girl was during the time she was missing.
“The family will be asked to get involved in Children’s Justice Center, CJC interviews, with very talented interviewers who are trained to interview minors,” Rogers explained.
In the last month, FOX 13 News reported on the arrests of three men who allegedly had communicated only with the teen online before she disappeared, but were not connected to her actual disappearance.
On Monday, Matthew Menard from Miami made his first Utah court appearance on two first-degree felony and four misdemeanor charges, including enticing and the exploitation of a minor.
Rogers explained how children can get fooled into believing that online predators are looking out for them.
"They're masters of manipulation, and they convince these young folks they’re their best friend and they need to be protected," he said.
With a long way to go until this current case is officially closed, Rogers mapped out what will likely happen next.
“My guess... the FBI will probably take over this case, working with those state, local partners, and they’re already, I can assure you, they’re already on the ground in Colorado trying to find who she was with."
