(CNN) -- The remarkable recovery of an abducted 8-year-old girl in Fresno, California -- which combined solid police work with the efforts of good Samaritans -- turned bittersweet Tuesday when authorities said the victim had been sexually assaulted.
Still, the fact that the girl was back home after the harrowing ordeal brought thanks from her parents during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking through an interpreter, the girl's father said he was "very happy that his daughter is home".
Police praised citizens, the media and good Samaritans as "heroes" on Tuesday, saying their efforts led to recovery and the arrest of the man, a suspected gang member, accused of taking her.
The girl was recovered Tuesday, hours after authorities said she was forced into a pickup truck at a Fresno apartment complex by a man who had approached a group of children playing.
She was taken to a hospital for an examination, Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters, initially saying the girl was "frightened" and "traumatized" but in good condition. Police indicated later she was the victim of sexual assault in a wooded area, perhaps out of town, before the motorist drove back to Fresno.
CNN does not identify possible victims of sexual assaults.
CNN
