2 out-of-state men charged, connected to disappearance of 15-year-old Utah girl
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — As the search continues for Alisa Petrov, 15, who was last seen on April 21, charges were filed against two men from out of state in connection with her disappearance.
Matthew Nicholas Menard, 35, of Miami, Florida, was charged with aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, enticement of a minor and criminal solicitation.
Missing 15-year-old girl last seen in Provo may have communicated with Texas man, according to cyber tip
Charges have also been filed against William Taylor Glines, 37, of Texas City, Texas. According to the South Jordan Police Department, he was charged with attempted aggravated exploitation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, enticement of a minor, and criminal solicitation.
South Jordan Police allege both Menard and Glines communicated with Petrov before she left school on April 21, 2025 — the day of her disappearance.
Court documents for Menard say he communicated with Petrov while he was in Florida. The two allegedly 'discussed in detail about meeting each other in Las Vegas.' South Jordan police had previously said that Petrov had asked people to help her get to Las Vegas.
Menard and Glines were identified after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found a social media account for the victim that showed she was communicating with the suspects.
Documents allege that both men had separately asked if the victim was 15, to which she reportedly said to one, '[y]eppers I'm actually in middle school.' Documents also said the conversations with the victim were 'largely sexual in nature,' with at least one asking her to send explicit photos and videos
'[Menard] verified at different points throughout his conversation with [the victim] that he was aware [she] was a minor,' charging documents for Menard state.
Even after learning that the girl was underage, both men allegedly continued with the sexual conversations and asked the victim to send them inappropriate photos and videos.
Alisa Petrov, 15, was dropped off at school in American Fork on April 21, but family members said she boarded a train toward Provo, Utah. Family members said Utah Transit Authority (UTA) security footage shows the teenager walking away, and she hasn't been found since.
She is said to be about 5'3″ tall and weigh about 122 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. She is listed as a runaway juvenile and is said to be endangered.
It was later reported that she may have been trying to get to Las Vegas, and another tip revealed that she may have been communicating with a man in Texas. Officials in Texas City posted on social media on May 9 to ask for the public's help in the search for Alisa.
As of May 16, Alisa's family was reporting that she still has not been found.
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