A missing 13-year-old wound up in adult jail after lying about her name and age, a prosecutor says

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (AP) — A 13-year-old Pittsburgh-area girl who was reported missing early last month spent time with adult inmates at a Pennsylvania jail after she lied to authorities about her age and identity following a shoplifting arrest, a prosecutor said.

Someone at the Beaver County jail eventually recognized the girl as a missing person, leading officials to separate her from the jail’s adult population, Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible said Tuesday. The teen’s parents were then notified and they picked her up, and the charges against her were moved to juvenile court, he said.

Pittsburgh police posted information about the missing teenager on Aug. 6, and subsequent reports said she had been seen in the city and riding on public transportation.

The girl was charged with retail theft after she was caught stealing items from a store in Beaver Falls on Aug. 17, Bible said. At the time, she gave police a false name and birthdate that led authorities to believe she was 18.

The teen eventually told officers on several occasions that she was a juvenile from the Pittsburgh area, and they told her they would release her to her parents. However, the girl falsely told them she was homeless, Bible said.

During this time, Beaver Falls police contacted child services agencies in Beaver County and Allegheny County — where Pittsburgh is located — to try to find information about her, but since she had given authorities a fake name no records were found, said Bible, who didn’t note how many days she spent with the jail’s adult population.