Missing Manhattan Beach girl, 14, found in San Diego with man, 24
A 14-year-old Manhattan Beach girl who went missing over the weekend was found in San Diego after police released photos of the man she was last seen with.
Leah Kritzer was found around 5:45 p.m. Thursday after someone called the San Diego Police Department to say that the missing girl was at her home.
San Diego authorities determined that Kritzer was with a 24-year-old man who told them that he drove to Manhattan Beach on Sunday after meeting the girl through an online dating website, where she had allegedly posed as a 19-year-old woman.
The man was not identified or arrested.
Kritzer was reported missing on Sunday after she went out to walk the family dog.
A couple of hours later, a local resident called the family to ask them if they were missing their dog, Manhattan Beach Police Sgt. Paul Ford told the Times.
Her father, Joe Kritzer, told KTLA that they went out to retrieve the dog but hadn’t seen his daughter.
It wasn’t until after she went missing that her parents learned that she had been posing as a 19-year-old woman in online chat rooms.
Ford believes the girl had not been abducted or foul play had been involved. He said Kritzer was also known to run away. Two months ago, Kritzer was found in a local motel after a similar disappearance, Ford said.
Twitter: @latvives
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