Police are investigating how a 5-year-old ended up hitchhiking Tuesday near Salt Lake City.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday that Orem, Utah, police dispatch had received calls around 8 a.m. that a girl was hitchhiking on the side of the street.

At about the same time, the paper reported that a frantic mother was calling police because she couldn't find her daughter. She was going to take her daughter to the bus stop a half block from home but couldn't find her.

Then about 9 a.m., a call came from officials at an elementary school in Provo -- 8 miles away -- saying someone had dropped the girl off there.

Police learned during the interview that the girl had been given a ride and was dropped off before another motorist picked her up and dropped her off at the nearest school.

Police would like to talk to the motorists who picked her up to learn what happened in the 45 minutes between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. that are unaccounted for. They are also concerned the girl ended up in Provo.

"If we hadn't gotten the call, we would have been searching in the wrong city," police Lt. Keldon Brown told the Salt Lake Tribune.