A Salmon Creek teen who had been missing since Monday returned home Thursday afternoon.
When Rachel Murphy, 16, was discovered missing from her home in the 300 block of Northwest 152nd Avenue, her parents suspected she ran away with a 21-year-old man from Portland. Police put pressure on him as they searched multiple residences and later arrested the man on a probation violation, said Clark County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Allais. The man’s name was not released.
Mother Karen Ellis said she received an anonymous tip that Rachel was at a home in Vancouver. Police questioned people at the residence, but did not go inside. Rachel later decided to return home.
“The first thing I saw was the fringe on her boot,” Ellis said, noting she hugged her daughter.
The sheriff’s office spearheaded the search, with help from the Vancouver Police Department and Portland police.