The girl was found 1,000 miles from where she disappeared
A missing teenage girl has been rescued from a locked shed after she was groomed on social media and lured from her home with money.
The 13-year-old from Dallas was found nearly 1,000 miles away from where she disappeared in Lexington, North Carolina.
She was at a property belonging to Jorge Camacho, 34, who has been arrested and charged with multiple offenses including rape, child abduction and human trafficking.
Police discovered he had used a social media messenger to groom and lure the abducted girl from her home. Within 10 minutes of receiving an FBI tip-off on Friday, police were able to identify Camacho and the vehicle linked to the abduction by sifting through local surveillance.
Davidson County Police followed the lead to Camacho’s house, where they found the girl, anonymous, locked in a garden shed.
Camacho was arrested and is being held on a $1.25 million bond.
Davidson County Sheriff Richie Simmons said: “I thank God that we were able to find this young girl; it may not be that case forever.”
Sheriff Simmons said the conversations between Camacho and the girl were “consistent with grooming and enticement.”
Camacho is understood to have encouraged the girl to leave her home and picked her up.
In a statement on Facebook, Davidson County Sheriff’s Office said video cameras caught a suspect vehicle in the area of the girl’s home. They then traced the owner of the vehicle to an address, where they conducted a traffic stop on Camacho as he was leaving his home in the vehicle.
Police said: “During the traffic stop, it was determined that the juvenile was locked in an outbuilding on the property at 10438 Linwood Southmont Rd., Lexington NC.
“The suspect was taken into custody and investigators with the assistance of the Davidson County SERT (Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team) surrounded the residence and made entry into the outbuilding. The Juvenile was located and did not appear to have any physical injuries.
“The juvenile was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation and eventually transported back to Texas.”
Jorge Ivan Santos Camacho was charged with abduction of a child, felonious restraint, human trafficking, two counts of statutory rape of child, two counts of statutory sex offence with child, and indecent liberties.
He was scheduled for his first appearance in court yesterday.
The Sheriff’s Office reported that additional charges are pending amid an ongoing investigation.
According to background check company Screen & Reveal, 70% of children in the US would accept a friend request regardless of who sent it.
As many as 82% of child sex crimes in the US have started on social media.
Sheriff Simmons urged parents to mind how their children use the internet.
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