Suspect met Ga. girl online, took her to Ohio, deputies say
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A Hall County girl who went missing for nearly two months in a high-profile case was with a 34-year-old man in Ohio, according to authorities.
In a Friday news conference, Sheriff Gerald Couch detailed the recovery of the 12-year-old. The suspect, later identified as Antonio Agustin, was arrested and is in jail in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
Agustin is being held on charges out of Hall County and will be extradited back to Georgia. Neither Hall County nor Ohio law enforcement have defined his charges.
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The child and the suspect had been communicating on Facebook Messenger for some time, Couch said. The young girl, who was also messaging other adult men, said she was unhappy at home and wanted to leave.
Deputies said they believe Agustin drove to Gainesville and picked her up at her home on May 29. Despite widespread public awareness, the girl’s location was unknown until last Friday, when she reached out to her father on Facebook.
The girl said she was OK but wasn’t coming home. That’s when investigators obtained the Facebook page’s IP address, found a phone number associated with it and tracked that device to a home in Dover, Ohio.
The sheriff’s office sent four investigators to Dover, later tracking the phone to a public swimming pool, where the suspect and girl were seen. Law enforcement followed the two to a local shopping center, recovering her and arresting the suspect.
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Athens-Clarke County jail records show Rodarius “Rara” Thomas was booked at 3:20 a.m. on felony charges of cruelty to children and misdemeanor battery charges. Bail had not been set as of late Friday morning.
Couch urged the community to keep an eye on their children.
“Technology is a wonderful thing. It helped us locate [her],” he said. “But technology can also be used for evil. It’s why [she] was able to leave Gainesville with a stranger and travel nine hours away from home.”
A Hall County girl who went missing for nearly two months in a high-profile case was with a 34-year-old man in Ohio, according to the county sheriff’s office.
Officials previously offered a $50,000 reward for information about the girl’s whereabouts — but Couch said the money had been pledged, not donated, so no reimbursements were necessary.
In the wake of her disappearance, the community banded together to spread the word. Groups held prayer meetings for her safe return, handed out flyers and posted signs all over the county.
“Our community has been constant with their , and I appreciate all that has been done in the last two months,” Couch said.
The investigation is ongoing. Couch said the sheriff’s office will continue to update the public as the case develops.
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