The runaway juvenile reported missing in Lapoint on Tuesday has been found safe. The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office asked the public
on Tuesday night
to be on the lookout for a missing 11-year-old that had been last seen in Lapoint
around 6:00pm. On Wednesday
, it was reported that the child was located and found safe. According to the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, a tip came in
on Wednesday morning
and the child was found at a home less than a mile away and had been there for the duration of the search that had lasted about 16 hours. Multiple agencies assisted the Sheriff’s Office in the search through the night and morning until the child was located including Uintah County Search and Rescue, Ute Tribe Search and Rescue, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and even the Classic helicopter that flew over the area in the morning. The search included checking sheds, properties, and anywhere the child could have been. The location where the youth was eventually found had been among the properties searched for over 30 minutes, shares the Sheriff’s Office, and the adults there never indicated that the youth was in the home. After the child was located, Laura Moore and Jared Ekke were both arrested and booked into Uintah County Jail. Significant manpower and resources were utilized in the 16-hour search but in Sgt. Brian Fletcher’s words, “The amount of time spent is well worth it and getting the child home safe is worth it. Still, it clearly could have been resolved much more quickly and wasn’t.” Moore and Ekke were booked for Harboring a Juvenile and Obstruction of Justice.
