Parents and a toddler missing from Thornton have been found crossing the U.S. border into Mexico.
Reported missing on Wednesday, the family is “safe and unharmed,” said Matt Barnes, a police spokesman.
Missing Thornton Family Update. Preliminary details,the family of three has been located at the Mexico and California border. Investigation is on-going. Limited details at this time. We want to thank the public for their assistance.
— Thornton Police Dept (@ThorntonPolice) April 4, 2020
Thornton police were notified Friday that Zaiqiao Feng, 48, Liu Nei Li, 40, and their 2-year-old daughter, Anny, were encountered crossing the border south of San Diego, Barnes said.
They have been detained pending questions about their sudden and mysterious departure, which included leaving a 5-year-old child behind in their Thornton home. They failed to tell extended family in the Thornton area that they were leaving and why they left suddenly, police said.
On Wednesday night, police serving a search warrant at the home found an illegal marijuana grow. Thornton investigators are seeking answers to the questions around their disappearance and are working to have the family returned here, Barnes said.
The 5-year-old who was left behind is safe and with extended family members.