Missing northwest Bend girl found safe

Police put out automated calls to the public as they and citizens searched for a missing 10-year-old girl in northwest Bend Saturday afternoon, until an officer found her about 90 minutes later at a family friend’s home.

Officers were called around 4:15 p.m. to a home on Fall Creek Loop about the girl, who left home on her bike around 12:30 p.m. and hadn’t been heard from since, said Lt. Jason Maniscalco.

Numerous friends were out in the Broken Top area looking for the girl when police arrived at the home.

Deschutes County 911 dispatchers used their automated phone-calling system to notify area residents of the missing girl, which turned up more tips and brought out more searchers, Maniscalco said.

Officer Crea Lancaster found the girl shortly before 6 p.m. at the home of a family acquaintance, also within Broken Top, he said.

Maniscalco said Bend police wanted to thank the many citizen volunteer searchers, as well as the county 911 Telecommunications Center, for their help in finding the girl.