Australian teenage jogger, who went missing near Bendigo, might have been sexually assaulted: Police

A jogger, who went missing near Bendigo in central Victoria for over a day, had possibly been sexually assaulted. Police said that a man was being interrogated over the incident.

On Wednesday, the teenager went for a jog through One Tree Hill, a bush reserve at the nearby La Trobe University. She did not return from the jog. The teenager was last seen jogging into the Greater Bendigo National Park around 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to Detective Senior Sergeant Rod Stewart, a patrolling officer found the La Trobe University student in a car at Maiden Gully and was rushed to hospital. Sexual crime detectives took over the investigation to shed light on the disappearance of the teenage girl.

"We believe at this stage she's been assaulted and we're investigating that," Stewart told ABC Statewide Drive, “A male is assisting us with our inquiries ... detectives are at the scene.” Police said that a Bendigo man was being questioned over the possible assault. Officers picked up the man soon after the 18-year-old girl had been found.

Sky News quoted Superintendent Mick West saying that the search had been “very well conducted.” He told reporters that a local divisional van had found the girl who was “in the process of just getting a check-over and some medical treatment.” West added that police had been advised to watch out for a car of a certain colour.

Police earlier described the disappearance of the teenage girl as “out of character.” The girl has a medical condition which needs regular medication. Police said that they had got a “snippet of information” which turned out to be “very fortuitous.”

Police Inspector Michael Talbot earlier said investigations were going on how the girl had ended up in Maiden Gully, over 10 km from the location where she went missing. West said that more information would be revealed in the next few days of the investigation. Stewart said that the girl was keeping “well.” Officers have been in the process of finding out what happened to her, he said.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au