Missing 13-year-old girl found in adult prison after lying to police about her age following shoplifting arrest

A 13-year-old Pittsburgh-area girl who disappeared last month has been found in a Pennsylvania jail after she lied to police about her age and identity following her arrest for shoplifting, a prosecutor said.

Tabitha Clark disappeared on August 2, but just two weeks later she was found in the Beaver Country Jail, a prison cell for adult inmates.

According to Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bibel, someone recognized her as the missing young girl.

Pittsburgh police released information about the missing teenager on August 6, and subsequent reports said she had been seen around the city and on public transportation.

The young girl's parents were then notified and picked her up. Charges were brought against her in juvenile court, Bible said.

Tabitha Clark, 13, disappeared on August 2 and was found in an adult prison two weeks later after she lied to officers about her age following an arrest for shoplifting.

Police were searching for the missing teenager. He was seen on CCTV cameras several times after her disappearance.

Tabitha was charged with shoplifting after she was caught stealing merchandise from a Beaver Falls store on Aug. 17, he said.

At the time, she gave the police a false name and date of birth, so the authorities assumed she was 18 years old.

Eventually, the teenager explained to the police several times that she was a minor and from the Pittsburgh area, and they told her that they would hand her over to her parents.

However, the girl falsely told them that she was homeless, Bible said.

During that time, Beaver Falls police contacted child welfare agencies in Beaver County and Allegheny County — where Pittsburgh is located — to find information about her, but because she gave authorities a false name, no records could be found, Bible said.

It is not known how many days she spent with the prison's adult inmates.