Relatives of a woman assaulted as a child said the new case felt painfully familiar.
PHOENIX, AZ — The family of a woman sexually assaulted as a child in 1993 is speaking out after two Arizona brothers were arrested in a new case involving a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing last week.
The arrests of Patrick Sanchez Jr., 68, and Manuel Sanchez, 60, followed a statewide Turquoise Alert tied to the girl’s disappearance from Apache Junction. Authorities said she was later found safe in the Globe and Miami area and returned to her family. The case has drawn fresh attention because Manuel Sanchez was convicted in the 1990s of sexual conduct with a minor, and relatives of that survivor say the new allegations brought back painful memories.
The current case began June 19 outside a Circle K in Apache Junction, police said. The girl had argued with family members, refused to get into a family vehicle and walked away. Investigators said surveillance video showed her getting into another car, which was later seen heading west on Superstition Boulevard. She was reported missing the night of June 23, and the case was upgraded to a Turquoise Alert before she was found June 24. “It just brought back a lot of old memories,” one relative of the 1993 survivor said. The family members asked not to be identified to protect the survivor’s privacy.
Investigators said the girl was taken across county lines and held against her will at several places, including an Airbnb in Mesa and locations in Globe and Miami. Court documents cited by local reports say Patrick Sanchez picked up the teen after offering her a ride. Police said Manuel Sanchez later took her to a home in Miami. The girl told police she was told she could not leave and wanted to run away, but the men stayed close to her. A woman identified as Patrick Sanchez’s girlfriend later called police to the Miami home, where officers found the girl and arrested the brothers. Police have not released every detail of what happened during the days she was missing.
For the 1993 survivor’s family, the new allegations echoed a case from more than three decades ago. Relatives said their loved one was 13 when she ran away and was gone for two weeks. They said the family questioned Manuel Sanchez, who was then in his late 20s, before they found the girl in his vehicle outside a Globe gas station. “He continued saying he didn’t have her, and I checked the vehicle and there she was on the floor,” a family member said. Manuel Sanchez was convicted in 1996 on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor. He is listed as a registered sex offender, according to current reporting on the case.
Patrick Sanchez faces charges in Maricopa County that include sexual conduct with a minor, luring a minor for sexual exploitation, molestation of a child, custodial interference, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence. Manuel Sanchez faces charges in Gila County that include custodial interference, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence. Manuel Sanchez’s bond was set at $1 million, and Patrick Sanchez’s bond was set at $500,000. Both men are expected back in court next month. The exact court dates were not immediately clear in the public reports.
Neighbors near the Miami home described a heavy police presence after the girl was found. One resident said officers lined the street and carried boxes from a house nearby. The neighbor said people had come and gone from the property and that the scene left families in the area unsettled. The 1993 survivor’s relatives said they were relieved the girl in the new case was found alive. “I’m just glad that the little girl is safe,” one family member said. The family also said they want Manuel Sanchez to remain in custody, saying his prior conviction should weigh heavily as the new case moves forward.
The girl in the new case has been reunited with her family, and investigators have continued reviewing what happened between June 19 and June 24. The Sanchez brothers remain charged as the case heads toward its next court stage in July.
Author note: Last updated June 30, 2026.