Amy Lu, missing Pennsylvania girl, 16, found in Mexico – Kevin Esterly, 45, who took her across US borders arrested and charged
Missing Pennsylvania girl, 16, is found in Mexico and the 45-year-old man she ran away with is arrested and charged
Kevin Esterly [photo], and Amy Yu were detained Friday, the Allentown police said. An Amber Alert had been issued for the duo by Mexican authorities on Thursday
The 45-year-old Pennsylvania man who sparked an international Amber Alert after he allegedly ran off to Mexico with a 16-year-old girl from Allentown, has been arrested and the teenager has been reunited with her family
Kevin Esterly and Amy Yu were detained Friday in Playa del Carmen, the Allentown police said. An Amber Alert had been issued for the duo by Mexican authorities on Thursday.
‘Esterly was placed into custody by Mexican authorities. Amy is unharmed and in good health,’ Allentown police said in a statement, according to WFMZ.
Kevin Esterly [right], and Amy Yu the teenager he left town with, were were detained in Playa del Carmen on Friday by Mexican police.
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Missing 16-year-old Pa., girl may have fled abroad with man, 45, who checked her out of school 10 times – Mexico authorities issue amber 
‘Esterly was placed into custody by Mexican authorities. Amy [photo], is unharmed and in good health.,’ Allentown police said in a statement.
‘They will be escorted back to the United States to Miami Florida by Homeland Security Investigations agents and United States Marshall Service deputies. Once back in the United States, arrangements will be made to get Amy back to Allentown to be reunited with her mother. Esterly will be turned over to the Miami Police Department and then the extradition process will begin to bring him back to Allentown.’
Esterly will face a charge of interference with the custody of a child.
Mexican authorities on Thursday issued an Amber Alert saying that police believe Amy Yu and Kevin Esterly are in the country, and the teen may be in danger.
The two vanished on March 5, shortly after authorities were notified the pair may have been involved in a romantic relationship. Yu’s family previously said the two met at church years ago, and the girl is friends with one of Esterly’s daughters.
Mexican authorities on Thursday issued an Amber Alert for the fugitive pair of Amy Yu, 16, and Kevin Esterly
Amy Yu was last seen March 5 when she is believed to have left town in the company of Kevi Esterly, the father of one of her friends, from Allentown, Pennsylvania. School records reveal that Esterly signed Yu out of school 10 times between November 13 and February 9. The teen had changed school documents to list him as her stepfather, in realty there was no such relationship and the pair were in a secret relatioship. That disturbing discovery had recently come to light, in February.
Her mother, Mui Luu, said she feels betrayed. Esterly and Yu had gotten so close she often went on his family’s vacations and Esterly had gone to Luu’s home for meals.
Luu says she also found text messages suggesting Esterly and her daughter where in a romantic relationship. making a televised appeal to her daughter, ‘I want to tell her: ‘Amy, can you come back to me? I love you. I just hope you come back’,’ Luu said on CBS News.
The family initially felt Esterly wanted to help Amy, according to her brother, John: ‘We never knew. Now I think he’s a very bad guy and Amy’s not hanging out with the right person,’ he said.
Amu Yu ([eft], vanished Mar 5 when she allegedly in the company of Kevin Esterly [right], the 45-year-old father of one of her friends. The families were also members of the same church in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Those goodwill sentiments appeared to have been misplaced with the discovery that Amy had altered her student records to list Esterly as her stepfather, according to police source. On Feb 9, Luu came to pick her daughter up from school and the school said her stepfather had already signed her out.
The perplexed mom explained she is a single mother. ‘There is no stepfather’, police spokesperson Gary Hammer told ABC News.
Esterly was subsequently warned to stay away from the teen.
Yu and Esterly were in a ‘secretive relationship’ which was laid bare in text messages between them which her mother discovered on her phone.
It is not clear if she found them before or after they went missing together.
On March 5, the pair are believed to have left Allentown in a 1999 Red Honda Accord with Pennsylvania plates.
Amy was last seen by her brother, John, who said she fled after being dropped off with him by their mother at their school bus stop.
Esterly had signed Yu out of Lehigh Valley Academy school 10 times between Nov and Feb 9. She allegedly enabled the deception by changing school listing him as her stepdad
Stacey Esterly seen with her husband Kevin and their children befriended Yu’s family after meeting in church. Kevin’s teen love interest Amy reportedly, was friends with one of their his daughters.
Esterly and his wife Stacey befriended Yu’s family through the church they both attend. She is friends with one of his daughters. His wife Stacey, told police that her husband withdrew $4,000 in cash from their accounts before he vanished with Amy on March 5
He told CBS’s Meg Oliver he was upset: ‘Why would a 45-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl … like, that’s disgusting!’
Before fleeing, Esterly withdrew $4,000 from his bank accounts, his wife Stacey told police.
Luu discovered after her daughter vanished that she had taken some of jewelry, her passport and cash.
She said that the family met the Esterly family through church.
Single mom Mui Luu, [left], discovered after her daughter vanished that she had taken some of jewelry, her passport and cash. Days earlier she had to tell school authorities Esterly was no ‘father figure’ in her daughter’s life
Kevin Esterly [right], seen with Amy, allegedly checked her out of school at least 10 times in the recent past, after the teen switched school documents, naming him as her step father
Prosecutors have charged Esterly with interference of custody of children. Yu’s charter school has also banned him from school grounds since last month (Pictured, Esterly with Yu and his children)
They had them over for dinner at least once and Yu’s brother said it seemed the man wanted to help his sister.
‘We never knew. Now I think he’s a very bad guy and Amy’s not hanging out with the right person,’ John told WFMZ.
‘We need her to come back.’
Prosecutors have charged Esterly with interference of custody of children. Yu’s charter school has also banned him from school grounds since last month.
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