Man arrested in connection with local teen's disappearance

VANDERGRIFT, Pa. — A 55-year-old man was arrested in Michigan in connection to the disappearance of a Westmoreland County teenager.

The 16-year-old girl was found safe in Michigan on Friday.

The teen was last seen around 4 p.m. on June 26. Relatives said she was at work at the McDonalds on Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Township for about 20 minutes before she disappeared.

The teen's mother Stephanie Grantham said it was a frightening time.

"Finally knowing and having an answer that she is safe and she's not harmed and she's OK and that she's back home with her family where she should be," Grantham said.

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Authorities said the teen was found on Friday with 55-year-old Bruce Kirkpatrick in Michigan.

Bruce Kirkpatrick is facing three counts of criminal sexual conduct for his alleged involvement.

Grantham said she can't go into detail about what happened to her daughter because of the investigation, but she does say her family is taking one day at a time.

"We cooked dinner together on Saturday then we had ice cream and went to the store," Grantham said.

Grantham offered this advice for parents: Try to have good communication with your kids and that if you see something is off, talk to them

The teen who was reported missing in this story has been found and investigators believe she is the victim of a sex crime. Because of this WPXI has removed her name and images from our website.

Cox Media Group