Missing girl found in basement of convicted sex offender on probation, officials say

(Gray News) – A missing child from Arizona was found in the basement of a convicted sex offender in Utah, hundreds of miles away from her home.

Utah Department of Corrections stated in news releases that agents received information from Arizona about a missing girl and a possible connection to a man on probation in Utah.

Jordan Sorenson was convicted in June 2020 of first-degree felony aggravated sexual extortion of an adult, according to the department, and is listed on Utah’s sex offender registry.

Agents with the Utah Attorney General’s human trafficking unit began investigating Sorenson. Authorities searched his home while he was at work and said they found the missing girl in the basement.

According to officials, the child was found safe and turned over to the care of a victim’s advocate from the Attorney General’s office.

“It is a priority for our office to utilize our Secure Strike Force to assist minors and to prosecute the growing number of human traffickers who are out there. These types of crimes are becoming more frequent, and we all need to continue to work together to combat these crimes,” Richard Piatt, communications director with the Utah Attorney General’s office, said.

In addition to probation violations for Sorenson, the Utah Department of Corrections said there is an ongoing investigation of new criminal charges with the Attorney General’s human trafficking unit.