2 Cedar City teens missing for over a month found in Oklahoma

Asia Loomer-James, 16, and Larry Cooke, 15, have been located and were returned home safely, Cedar City, Utah, March 23, 2020 | Photos from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website, St George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — Two teenagers missing from the Cedar City area for more than a month have been located and were returned to Iron County Monday.

Asia Loomer-James, 16, and Larry Cooke, 15, were listed on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website before they were found and returned home to Cedar City, Utah, March 23, 2020 Photos courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, St George News / Cedar City News

The two teens, Asia Marie Loomer-James, 16, and Larry Dean Cooke Jr., 15, were located by authorities in Oklahoma and have since returned to Cedar City as of 10 a.m. Monday morning, according to an update issued by the Cedar City Police Department.

The teens went missing just over a month ago and the incident is still an open investigation, Cedar City Police Sgt. Clint Pollock told Cedar City News Monday.

“The only thing I can say at this point is they were located in Oklahoma and are home safe, but otherwise, we aren’t releasing any further details right now,” he said.

The incident was reported Feb. 18 when an officer was dispatched to the scene and was given a description of the two juveniles and an adult female who was potentially driving a small, red car. Initial information also indicated the teens may have been leaving the state, possibly with Loomer-James’ biological mother, according to a press release issued by the Cedar City Police Department.

At the time of the report, the teens had been missing for nine days and had not contacted family members or updated any social media accounts. Both were then listed on the National Crime Information Center, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Missing People in America.

The department’s investigations unit continued following leads to locate the teenagers, several of which indicated the juveniles could have been in a number of states, including Nevada, Montana, California or Oklahoma — where they were eventually located.

The investigation continues.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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