The case began outside an Apache Junction gas station and led investigators to Globe.
APACHE JUNCTION, AZ — Two brothers have been arrested after a 13-year-old girl who disappeared from Apache Junction was found safe in Globe following a Turquoise Alert, police said.
Patrick Sanchez Jr., 68, and Manuel Sanchez, 60, are accused in a case that moved quickly from a missing-person report to a criminal investigation. The alert drew attention because Arizona’s Turquoise Alert system is still new and is meant for missing endangered people under 65 who vanish under suspicious or unexplained circumstances. Police said public tips after the alert helped investigators find the girl and identify the men.
The girl was last seen June 19 outside a Circle K in Apache Junction after an argument with family members, authorities said. Police said she refused to get into a family member’s car, walked through the parking lot and then got into another vehicle. Investigators said surveillance video showed a man in an early 2000s white Chevrolet Impala approach her before driving west on Superstition Boulevard. The case was reported to authorities the night of June 23. Soon after, it was first treated as an endangered-person case and then upgraded to a Turquoise Alert. Apache Junction police Lt. Thomas Parker said the alert brought in “many investigative tips right away” that helped the case.
Authorities said the male driver seen in the surveillance video was found June 24 in Globe, a city in Gila County east of the Phoenix area. Hours later, the girl was also found safe in the Globe-Miami area and reunited with her family. Police have not publicly named the girl because she is a minor. They also have not released a full account of where she was during the days between her disappearance and recovery. Investigators later identified the arrested men as Patrick Sanchez Jr. and Manuel Sanchez. Both are accused of custodial interference, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence. Patrick Sanchez Jr. also faces accusations of sexual conduct with a minor, luring a minor for sexual exploitation and molestation of a child.
The charges are spread across two counties. Patrick Sanchez Jr. faces charges in Maricopa County, while Manuel Sanchez faces charges in Gila County. Court details released after Patrick Sanchez Jr.’s initial appearance said prosecutors alleged the girl had been taken to multiple locations, including an Airbnb, and forced to perform sexual acts. Those allegations have not been proven in court. Patrick Sanchez Jr. was being held on a $500,000 cash bond, while Manuel Sanchez was awaiting a court appearance, authorities said. Police said the investigation remains active, and more details could come through court filings, hearings or later statements from investigators.
The case also put new focus on Arizona’s Turquoise Alert system, which launched in 2025 under Emily’s Law. The law was named for Emily Pike, a San Carlos Apache teen whose disappearance and death helped drive calls for a faster alert process in missing-person cases. The system is used when a person under 65 is believed to be endangered, when the disappearance is unexplained or suspicious, when local resources have been used and when enough details are available to help the public recognize the missing person or a related vehicle. Alerts can be sent through wireless emergency alerts, highway message boards, public safety websites, social media and law enforcement bulletins.
Police described the Apache Junction case as urgent once investigators believed the girl could be in danger. Parker said officers treated the case as an “all-hands-on-deck situation” because of the victim’s age and the circumstances. The alert gave the public a description of the girl, the vehicle and the man seen in surveillance video. Investigators said the information helped lead them to Globe. Family members later said the girl had been located in the Globe-Miami area. Officials have not said whether the girl knew either suspect before June 19, and they have not said whether other people may be investigated.
Records cited by local reporting show Manuel Sanchez had served prison time in the 1990s for sexual conduct with a minor and later served time for a drug offense. He is listed as a Level 3 sex offender on Arizona’s registry. Arizona Department of Corrections records also show a Patrick Sanchez, age 68, served prison time in the early 1990s for a narcotics conviction. A woman who said she survived past abuse by Manuel Sanchez told Arizona’s Family that the new case felt like “deja vu all over again.” Police have not said whether either man’s prior record played a role in how investigators handled the search or arrests.
The girl has been found and returned to her family, but the criminal case is still moving through the courts. As of June 27, authorities had not announced a final charging decision beyond the listed accusations, and investigators had not released a full timeline of the girl’s movements after she left the Apache Junction gas station.
Author note: Last updated June 27, 2026.