Surprise police: Idaho teen whose disappearance sparked AMBER Alert found; suspect in custody

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- Police in Surprise announced early Tuesday morning that a teenage girl whose disappearance sparked AMBER Alerts in Idaho and Arizona has been found.

According to Sgt. Tim Klarkowski with Surprise Police, a multiagency search team has located 17-year-old Sandra Rios-Chavez. Rios-Chavez, who appeared to be unharmed, is waiting to be reunited with her family. Meanwhile, the suspect in her disappearance, identified as Miguel Rodriguez-Perez, was taken into police custody without further incident. Both were located within search areas where the multi-agency search team had been concentrating their efforts.

According to officials, Rios-Chavez was last seen on May 19 at 6:00 p.m. at a Wendy's restaurant in Jerome, Idaho, a town about 116 miles southeast of Boise, and Miguel Rodriguez-Perez is believed by authorities to have forcibly taken Rios-Chavez.

ADOT officials said Rodriguez-Perez's phone has been pinged in Kingman, and that sparked an AMBER Alert for Rios-Chavez's disappearance to be issued in Arizona Monday night.

After the AMBER Alert was issued, Surprise police say officers patrolling in the West Valley near Grand Avenue and Patton Road located a black Audi car that matched the description of the suspect's vehicle, and attempted a traffic stop.

The car sped away and was found abandoned by officers near Norwich Drive and Beacon Field Boulevard.

Following a five-hour search, police say Rios-Chavez and Rodriguez-Perez were both found.

Rodriguez-Perez was booked into jail on an outstanding felony warrant out of Idaho and Rios-Chavez was placed into DCS custody. She will be reunited with her family.