This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"Suspicious circumstances" surround a 14-year-old girl who was found with "significant injuries" in an empty Smithfield canal about 12:45 a.m. Friday.
The Amalga teen had been reported missing about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a Friday news release from the Cache County Sheriff's Office. She had been communicating with her family during the day and was expected home from school at 4 p.m., but she did not arrive. Officers spent the night investigating but exhausted leads by about midnight, the release said.
People who knew the girl were looking for her, the release said, and found her in a dry canal east of Sky View High School. She had "significant injuries" and was taken to a local hospital, then flew to a Salt Lake City area hospital for further treatment, the release said.
The Smithfield Police Department is investigating "suspicious circumstances surrounding this incident," the release said, noting that details about how the girl was injured or how she ended up in the canal were not being released. The incident was considered "isolated," the release said, "and there is no threat to the public."
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