Missing 16-year-old girl found alive after months– her family thought she ran away but the truth was very different

Alinka Castaneda, teenager living in L.A. was reported missing in January and her family has gone through devastation as they hadn’t heard of their loved one in months.

According to police reports, Castaneda was last seen entering an unknown vehicle in the early morning of January 1, on South Carodale Avenue, after she left her family home in Carson, California.

A footage obtained from a nearby doorbell camera showed a man approaching the girl moments before her disappearance.
Initially, the family believed that she might have run away, but as time passed by, they were more certain that it wasn’t the case. Then, they received a phone call from Castadena.

“In this phone call, she actually shared with her sister and her mom that she didn’t know where she was then and wouldn’t be allowed to leave. She sounded like she was under duress and stressing out,” Moses Castillo, a retired detective and a private investigator working on the case, shared with KTLA. Castillo revealed they were dealing with a case of kidnapping and that the suspect was an adult man known to the police. He didn’t reveal any further details at the time.

Castaneda was listed as a “critical missing juvenile,” by the police who asked for the public’s help in locating her and citing “concern for her well-being.”

In order to be able to get the help from the public and anyone who could have certain information about the case, $100,000 had been offered as a reward. Thankfully, this helped the police track down the suspects and take the teen to safety.

After almost three months, Castadena has been reunited with her family

It remains unknown whether any arrests have been made.

We are glad this teenager is home and safe.