DENVER – A Thornton family who left their 5-year-old at home before suddenly disappearing into thin air has been found at the California-Mexico border, according to the Thornton Police Department.
The missing family – 40-year-old Liu Nei Li, 48-year-old Zaiqiao Feng, and 2-and-a-half-year-old Anny Li — were last seen leaving their home Monday in a 2008 gray Toyota Highlander with Colorado plates 231-REZ.
Police said the family's relatives found the 5-year-old girl in the home's front yard by herself Monday evening. The girl told police that her family was going to the grocery store that morning, but they never returned.
Those relatives called police soon after the girl was found and told authorities they're not sure why the couple would take off with their 2-year-old daughter but leave the 5-year-old home alone.
On Wednesday evening, Thornton police executed a search warrant at the home and found an illegal marijuana grow, a police spokesperson said, without providing further details.
Police said Friday the family had been found in the California-Mexico border but did not provide further details, only saying the investigation into their disappearance was ongoing.
Thornton police said Saturday that the two suspects, Li and Feng, are being held in the San Diego area awaiting extradition to Colorado on child abuse and drug charges. The 2-year-old girl is safe and in protective custody.