Man Arrested In Connection With Missing Girl

Police have arrested 21-year-old Chris Morales from Oswego, IL in connection with a 13-year-old girl from Bemidji who was reported missing Tuesday.

A parent of the girl contacted the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office yesterday at 9 am to report the girl as missing. The parent says their daughter was not at home, nor did she get on the bus to go to school.

Neighbors had previously reported strange activity around the girl’s home, saying they had witnessed a man standing in the woodline near her house two days ago. A neighbor was able to get a license plate number and description of the suspects vehicle. Further investigation led police to believe the child left with the man, who she had met previously online.

With the assistance of the Bloomington Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department and Agents from the Minnesota Bureau of Investigation, Morales and the 13 year old Bemidji girl were located in Minneapolis.

Morales is being held in the Beltrami County jail. He faces charges of 3rd-degree sexual conduct and deprivation of custodial and parental rights.