Missing Othello Teen Found Safe In Moses Lake

An Adams County teenager who'd been missing for nearly three weeks has been found alive and unharmed in Grant County.

Seventeen-year-old Gabriela Elizabeth Balderas of Othello had not been heard from since Dec. 19 when her parents reported her as a runaway.

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The Othello Police Department says Balderas had reportedly been seen at the dormitory housing on the campus of Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, and was eventually located Tuesday at around 11 p.m. at a nearby residence.

Investigators say Balderas was found in the company of an adult male who lives at the residence and criminal charges against him are being explored since he was reportedly aware that the missing teen is a minor and had been reported as a runaway.

Officials with the Othello P.D. are crediting their partnership with the Moses Lake and Warden Police Departments, and the wealth of citizen tips and social media responses they received in helping to locate Balderas and safely return her to the custody of her parents.