Support truly
independent journalism
A 12-year-old girl who went missing from her home in Georgia in May was found safe at a mall and her alleged abductor was arrested.
Authorities located Maria Gomez-Perez in Dover, Ohio on Thursday, about 600 miles from her home in Gainesville. Officials expected that the child would be back in Georgia by Friday.
“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 said. “Our prayers for Maria’s safe return have been answered.”
Gomez-Perez went missing on May 29. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office tracked the girl’s potential whereabouts to South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Illinois and Maryland, but none of the leads were successful, according to Fox 5.
Other agencies including the FBI, Homeland Security, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division assisted in the search.
The child was found with a 31-year-old man named Antonio Agustin. Investigators believe that the child had been talking with Agustin and other men on Facebook Messenger and other apps.
“Maria had indicated that she was unhappy, and she would like to leave home,” Sheriff Couch said.
Authorities said that Agustin drove down to Georgia to meet the girl and the two have been together since.
A break in the case came when the girl contacted her father on Facebook last week to tell him that she was okay and he should stop looking for her.
A team tracked down the IP address and after making visual contact with the girl swooped in to rescue her and arrested Agustin.
Agustin has been arrested on rape charges. Multiple felony charges are possible in the case.
