The 16-year-old Missouri girl who has been missing since December is still alive for nearly 700 miles in the home of a registered sex offender.
According to the 9News arrest affidavit, officers from the Fort Collins Police Department were taken to a Colorado home on April 15 after receiving tips through the missing teen’s Instagram account, which has been dormant since its disappearance on December 6, 2024.
On April 16, investigators determined that her account was accessed from the IP address of the home where Maximilian Bondrescu, 44, lived.
Officials said that since Bondrescu was a registered sex offender, investigators obtained a warrant and went to his home on April 18.
Authorities say
A teenager who has been missing from Missouri since December was found alive on a Colorado property, reportedly with sex offender Maximilian Bondrescu, according to police. (Colorado Bureau of Investigation)
Bondrescu denied that officials had a girl at home but later found her hiding in a closet, the affidavit said.
Police shared in a press release on its department’s Facebook page: “The house was searched and the missing teenager is located inside. Police confirmed that Bondrescu had been booked at the Larimer County Jail and faced numerous charges, including the following fees:
The affidavit says the victim was 15 when she first disappeared outside Columbia, Missouri, when school officials informed her father that she was not at school that morning. He told police that when he came home from get off work she was still not at home and he was unable to contact her by phone.
Uber driver allegedly shared sexually explicit images of trying to kidnap female rider in California
Fort Collins police said a suspect has been arrested and faces multiple charges, including sexual assault on a child and second-degree kidnapping after police found a missing teenager at his home. (Fort Collins Police Service Facebook)
The affidavit said the school’s students reported that the teen had spoken about the affidavit of fleeing Colorado.
The victim was not identified because of her age, and he told investigators that she communicated with Bondrescu on an app called "boo" in November 2024, but then transferred their conversation to Snapchat.
"Investigation revealed that Bondrescu rented a car to Missouri and drove to Missouri where he met teenage women and then drove to Colorado," police said.
California neighbor saves girl from kidnapping attempt
Bondrescu picked her up late at night and “takes a route that avoids any toll roads” according to the affidavit.
When they arrived in Colorado, the victim told police that Bondrescu also dyed her hair and wore a mask and sunglasses.
The arrest affidavit shows an Instagram message leading to the rescue of the kidnapped teenager. (Mat Cardi/Getty Images)
Police added that the victim reported to investigators that she was against her will, but that Bondscu would sometimes bring her out and do work for his snowfall company focus Sno Go.
Police said she was also asked to wear a mask while shoveling to cover up her identity and age when she was forced to work at the Bondrescu company.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Police requested any customer who used the company to contact DET. David Guy, 970-416-2026.
"The importance of the work done by the Fort Collins Police Cybercrime Department and similar departments across the country plays a crucial role in helping to protect the safety of our children," said Kristy Volesky, Assistant Chief of Police of Fort Collins. "If it weren't for the hard work of these detectives, the teenagers could continue to be victimized. Our investigators will now work closely with the District Attorney's Office to ensure justice is delivered for this child."
Bondrescu will hold on $500,000 in bonds, with its court date scheduled for Monday, May 5, according to Larimer County Jail records.
Fox News Digital contacted Instagram and received no immediate response.
Stepheny Price is a writer at Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, state crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com