Round Lake teen found in Mexico

A Round Lake teen has been located safe in Mexico, five years after she left home following an argument with her father.

How Zulma Y. Flores made her way south was undetermined. Police credited her estranged mother with solving the mystery. Although neither abduction nor foul play was suspected, clearing the cold case was satisfying for police, who never closed the investigation.

"In our thoughts, we hoped she'd pop up like she did," said Round Lake Police Chief Cliffton Metaxa. "It's a potentially tragic story that turned out with a good ending."

Flores was 13 when she failed to return home Jan. 19, 2003. She was living with her father, and her mother was out of the picture at the time, Metaxa said.

In the two years prior to her disappearance, Flores had several contacts with police, including curfew violations, Metaxa said. She also failed to come home on occasion, but later would be found at a friend's house.

Apparently, she had enough of the situation in early 2003 and didn't return.

"Initially, there was a ton of work done," Metaxa said. Leads were checked and she was registered as missing with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Early this month, the estranged mother reappeared, and realizing her daughter was reported missing, decided to look for Flores, according to Metaxa. The mother was able to determine her daughter, now 18, married and with children, lives in Celaya, Mexico.

Metaxa was uncertain how she got to Mexico, but said a former boyfriend may somehow have been involved. The mother's personal investigation took two or three weeks, he added.

A family member notified police last Friday. Her identification was verified with the father and the case is considered closed, Metaxa said.

Round Lake police spent hundreds of hours investigating and dealt with a variety of local, state and law enforcement agencies. Flores may not have realized someone was looking for her, he added.

She was reunited with her family in the United States, but will remain in Mexico with her immediate family, police said.