A 12-year-old girl who went missing from her home in Georgia in May was discovered safe at a mall, and her accused abductor was apprehended.
On Thursday, authorities found Maria Gomez-Perez near Dover, Ohio, some 600 miles from her home in Gainesville. Officials anticipated 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 stated. Maria’s safe return has fulfilled our prayers.
Gomez-Perez disappeared on May 29. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigated the girl’s possible whereabouts in South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Illinois, and Maryland, but none of the leads were successful, according to Fox 5.
Other agencies, such as the FBI, Homeland Security, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, aided with the search.
Investigators discovered the infant with a 31-year-old man named Antonio Agustin. Investigators suspect the child had been communicating with Agustin and other individuals via Facebook Messenger and other apps.
“Maria indicated that she was unhappy and wanted to leave home,” Sheriff Couch added.
Authorities said Agustin drove down to Georgia to meet the girl, and the two have been together ever since.
Last week, a break in the case occurred when the girl contacted her father via Facebook to inform him that she was fine and that he should stop hunting for her.
A crew tracked down the IP address and, after making visual contact with the child, swooped in to save her and arrest Agustin.
Agustin was arrested on rape charges. Multiple felony charges are possible in this case.
