Missing Montana girl found safe in Caseyville

A teen girl found safe in Caseyville early Tuesday morning was reported missing from eastern Montana, almost 950 miles away.

Caseyville police said the girl, who is 15, was found in the 2400 block of Old Country Inn Drive around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday following a search of the area that lasted nearly five hours.

Police in Montana had been searching for much longer.

Relatives reported the girl missing to Richland County, Mont., deputies around noon local time Sunday. The girl had said Saturday she was going to stay with a friend for a few days but family members became concerned when they were unable to reach her.

When deputies in Montana began seeing signals from the girl’s cell phone in the metro-east Monday evening, they notified St. Clair County dispatchers.

Police radio transmissions broadcast shortly before 10 p.m. Monday evening indicated the cell phone signal was first located on the property of Breckenridge Material Company on Tucker Drive near Caseyville. Another signal was located along Kassing Drive, about a half mile to the east of the first signal.

A Caseyville officer eventually located the girl on Old Country Inn Drive and bought her some food because she said she was hungry. From there the girl was transported to a children’s home by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and arrangements were made to send her back to Montana.

It’s unclear how or with whom the girl made it to the metro-east.

Fairview Heights police officers assisted Caseyville police and the county dispatchers in the search.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Missing Montana girl found safe in Caseyville."