Man under arrest after police find missing 11-year-old Colorado girl who disappeared after going to local park

A man in Colorado is under arrest in connection to the case of a young girl who went missing after she told her mother she was going to a local park.

On Nov. 16, Lilly Ingalsbee left her Westminster home around 3:30 p.m. to go to Country Side Park, police said. The 11-year-old girl’s family contacted authorities to report her missing after she was gone for two hours and hadn’t returned home or checked in.

Multiple police departments, the FBI and other agencies launched a massive search for Lily, distributing flyers, flying drones, scouring video and releasing bloodhounds in the area. A tip from a citizen led investigators to Unincorporated Jefferson County, where they found the child, the Westminster Police Department said.

On Nov. 17, police arrested Michael Patrick Buckley, 30, and booked him into the Jefferson County Jail on a charge of sexual assault on a child-pattern of abuse, police said.

In a statement, family expressed their gratitude that Lily was safe and back home.

“It is very comforting to know that families like ours are supported by a close-knit community and overwhelming response from the Westminster Police Department along with all the other first responder agencies who step up to help,” they said. “We just want to offer the biggest thanks to all who helped us in a time of need.”