Missing girl hitched ride in back of family friend’s vehicle without them knowing, authorities say

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. – A 10-year-old girl from Golden who was missing for more than 12 hours overnight hid in the back of a family friend’s car and was inadvertently taken to Aurora, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

Authorities found Madeleine Malloy, 10, safe at an Aurora apartment complex Friday morning 27 miles from where she originally went missing around 5 p.m. Thursday.

Law enforcement officials said Friday morning that Malloy didn’t seem to know where she was when she was found Friday morning after knocking on the door of a different apartment saying she was hungry.

Those neighbors fed the girl and called police, authorities said.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office released the details later Friday that Malloy had hid in the family friend’s vehicle.

“She left the vehicle after it was park at the friend’s home for the night. She was located at a nearby residence this a.m.,” the sheriff’s office tweeted.

An extensive search was undertaken after the girl was reported missing that involved the sheriff’s office, the FBI, and multiple metro-area police departments.