Insight provided after 3 runaway teens found safe in Coachella Valley
Local police and the nonprofit, SafeHouse of the Desert, provided some insight to the issue of runaway teenagers on Thursday. This comes after three teens were found safe in the Coachella Valley during the last three weeks.
16-year-old Cody Page was found in Palm Springs after he was missing from his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan; Two Paso Robles teenagers were found at a trailhead in Mecca Wednesday
Kristen Dolan, Anti-Human Trafficking Director with SafeHouse of the Desert, said there were variety of reasons why a teen would run away from home. It could include typical teen behavior such as running away to go to the Coachella Music and Arts Festival like the Paso Robles teens or issues within the household as in the case of Cody Page.
“A lot of times it’s problems within the home whether it’s actual abuse or whether it’s a dynamics problem,” she said. “A lot of behavioral issues can be happening in the home for either the kids or the parents.” Dolan said the SafeHouse provided a place for at-risk teens such as runaways to turn to.
Sgt. Dan Marshall with the Indio Police Department credited social media for playing a crucial role in helping area law enforcement in finding the missing teens by drawing many people’s attention. He said time is of essence in these types of cases.
“Timeliness is important because the more time that transpires, the further they can get away, blend in, move, change vehicles, change appearance,” Sgt. Marshall said.
He and Dolan also spoke on how they made sure a missing teen would remain in a safe environment if they were found. While reunited with family members was a priority, they would take a different path if there was evidence the teenager ran away from abusive relatives or parents.
“One of the first questions we ask them after is ‘Are you OK’,” Sgt. Marshall said. “Then we get into ‘Well why did you run away’ and once we get anything where they are saying ‘I’m not safe, my home is this’, we immediately contact child protective services.”
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