14-year-old Utah girl who vanished in Mexico found safe as uncle now faces kidnapping charge

A 14-year-old Utah girl and her two young cousins, missing in Mexico for nearly two weeks, have been found safe.

Elizabeth “Ely” Gonzalez was visiting her grandmother in Mexico City when she disappeared on June 30, along with her cousins, Sofia Mailen Moreno Zamora, 6, and Regina Morena Zamora, 4.

Gonzalez’s uncle, 31-year-old Antonio Mereno, was found with the girls and has been accused of kidnapping .

Gonzalez’s mother Alma Soreque told ABC4 that she spoke to her daughter the morning she went missing.

Family members later called her to tell her Gonzalez had walked to the nearby convenience store and not come back.

An FBI release said that they thought Gonzalez may have been manipulated by an adult to get into a taxi. They said that the three missing girls and Mereno were likely traveling together.

Moreno is Gonzalez’s uncle and the father of her cousins, according to ABC4 .

Family members told ABC4 that he “abruptly traveled” to Mexico City the day the girls disappeared.

The three girls were found safe at approximately 9.30pm local time on July 12 with Moreno in Veracruz, Mexico.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Moreno, and he will be extradited back to the United States to face charges.

The FBI thanked law enforcement in Mexico and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Mexico City for their assistance in the case, as well as the public for their tips.