Samaritan Comes to Aid of Missing Girl

While sheriff’s deputies searched for her, a missing 9-year-old girl spent the night peacefully at the home of a good Samaritan who found her wandering the streets of Stanton early Tuesday and later informed authorities of her whereabouts.

Cynthia Selene Ortiz, reported missing Monday night from her home in the 7900 block of Lampson Avenue, was the subject of an intense search by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies scoured her apartment complex, conducted door-to-door interviews and enlisted the aid of bloodhounds and a helicopter.

The episode began about 11:30 p.m. Monday when the girl was reported missing. About 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said, a neighbor on his way home from work found her wandering and took her home with him. Later that morning, they said, he and his wife called police to report the girl’s whereabouts.

Authorities did not identify the neighbor, describing him only as a “good Samaritan.”

An investigation, they said, revealed that the child had decided to leave home on her own but could not provide a reason for her actions. Sheriff’s investigators said the girl was in good health and had not been the victim of a crime.