Missing Utah teen reunited with family after mom's emotional plea to 'fight'



LOGAN, Utah -- A Utah teenager believed to have been a victim of sex trafficking has been found and reunited with her family, two aunts of 17-year-old Sarah Dunsey told KSTU Saturday.

Trina McCulloch and Kandie Dunsey both cried as they talked about receiving news that the teen was safe.

"If you would have heard last night when got the call... just a lot of joy," McCulloch said, choking up as she spoke.

Sarah was last seen at the MGM in Las Vegas on January 15, according to her family, and that's where they believe she was abducted.

The search for Sarah gained national attention after her mother and others put together a video asking for help and urging Sarah to fight.

Then on Friday, McCulloch and Dunsey said they got the news that authorities in Venice, California, found Dunsey and brought her to a local hospital.

They said she left the hospital with her mother and grandmother and headed to St. George, Utah, where Dunsey's mother lives.

"She was found but her recovery is still going to be a long time," Kandie Dunsey said, as she fought back tears.



McCulloch said Dunsey's father made the trip from Logan to St. George to reunite with his daughter Saturday night.

Around the same time, dozens gathered to light candles and celebrate Sarah's return to safety.

"Just a lot of gratitude," an emotional McCulloch said. "These people that are behind us, they love our family and they love Sarah."

The crowd also took a moment during the vigil to pay tribute to sex trafficking victims who never make it home.

McCulloch said two men who were allegedly with Sarah have been taken into custody. They said they aren't able to say anything more because of the ongoing investigation.

KSTU has reached out to police in Logan, Las Vegas and Los Angeles for confirmation and information on the case.

More details will be posted as they become available.