After going missing from her Georgian home in May, a 12-year-old girl was discovered safe at a mall, and her alleged kidnapper was taken into custody.
Maria Gomez-Perez was found by authorities on Thursday approximately 600 miles from her Gainesville home in Dover, Ohio. By Friday, officials anticipated that the youngster would return to Georgia.
“The tireless work of our criminal investigative bureau, law enforcement partners and the community has resulted in the best possible outcome,” Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch stated. “Our prayers for Maria’s safe return have been answered.”
On May 29, Gomez-Perez vanished from sight. Fox 5 reports that despite following the girl’s possible whereabouts to South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Illinois, and Maryland, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office was unable to find her.
The search was aided by additional authorities such as the FBI, Homeland Security, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Antonio Agustin, a 31-year-old man, and the toddler were discovered together. Investigators surmise that the youngster had been corresponding via Facebook Messenger and other apps with Agustin and other guys.
“Maria had indicated that she was unhappy, and she would like to leave home,” Sheriff Couch stated.
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According to the authorities, Agustin traveled to Georgia to meet the girl, and they have remained together ever then.
The child contacted her father on Facebook last week to let him know that she was okay and that he should stop hunting for her, which marked a turning point in the case.
Following the identification of the IP address, a team intervened to save the girl and took Agustin into custody. Agustin was taken into custody on suspicion of rape. There could be several felonies charged in this case.
