HURRICANE — Two 15-year-olds missing from a Hurricane youth treatment center have been found in Mesquite, Nevada, according to Washington County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, Sgt. Joel Hafoka. The teens were located by local police around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
Update Aug. 26, 3 p.m. Missing teens found safe.
Authorities said Alexis “Axel” Van Vlake and Jade “Eli” Macias-Fristoe ran away from the facility, following a recent pattern of other girls running from the facility, Three Points Center. The girls were registered as missing persons by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Hafoka said a deputy responded as soon as possible Tuesday around 11 p.m., but the multiple deputies who combed the surrounding area afterward found no trace of the girls.
Hafoka said there were only two directions the girls could have gone from the isolated youth facility: toward Hurricane or into the desert.
Questions remain as the girls were found over 55 miles away in Southern Nevada. The mode and means of transportation to the neighboring state for the girls have not been released at this time.
Dana Van Vlake, Alexis Van Vlake’s mother, told St. George News that she had hired private investigators to aid in the search. The last spotting of them was at a Hurricane gas store and smoke shop. Neither girl had money or a phone when they left the facility.
The original media release concerning the teens as missing had descriptions of them for the purpose of identification.
Alexis Van Vlake is 5-foot-5 and weighs about 130 lbs. She has very short brown hair and green eyes. She has braces and was wearing all black clothing when last at the facility.
Jade Macias-Fristoe is 4-foot-11 and approximately 120 pounds. The left side of their short hair is black, and the right side of their hair is white with green streaks in it.
They are still looking into certain aspects of the case, and if you have important information concerning the teens, you may contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (435) 634-5730.
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