Authorities safely locate missing northern Idaho girl; suspect in custody
By Rett Nelson
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SPOKANE VALLEY, Washington (eastidahonews.com) — An Amber Alert for a northern Idaho girl has been canceled after authorities spotted her in Washington.
The Lewiston Tribune reports 15-year-old Lillian Dixon of Lewiston was found Tuesday evening in the Maxwell and Park area of Spokane Valley.
A tweet from the Washington State Patrol indicates authorities safely rescued her sometime Tuesday evening and the 36-year-old man she was with was taken into custody.
“Spokane Valley and Spokane Sheriffs, as well as assistance of WSP. Amber Alert suspect in custody. Female victim okay. Great work from tips and alert law enforcement!,” a spokesman for the WSP tweeted.
No other details about her rescue were released.
Multiple felony warrants are on file for Jonathan Bowles, the man who captured Lillian. He is a sex offender who has three warrants for his arrest in Garfield County, Washington, according to a news release from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Lillian had been missing since Friday and was last seen at Lewiston High School, the Tribune reports. Prior to her capture, Bowles had reportedly stolen a 2007 maroon Chevy Trailblazer.
An Amber Alert was issued on Monday in Washington, but many people in the Lewiston and eastern Idaho region did not hear about it until Tuesday. Idaho State Police Communications Director Lynn Hightower tells the Lewiston Tribune the request for the alert came from Lewiston Police, but by the time it was ready to send, authorities knew Bowles and Lillian were in Washington.
The WSP, along with the Spokane Valley Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office are grateful for the public’s help in finding Lillian.
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