HALL COUNTY, OH - A 12-year-old girl that had gone missing two months ago has been safely found in Dover, Ohio, with a 34-year-old Guatemalan man who has since been sent to jail.
According to KAKE, the girl, Maria Gomez-Perez was last seen at the home of her father, Andres Gomez, on May 29th in Gainesville, Georgia. She was reported missing a day later, on May 30th. Her disappearance sparked a search that included local authorities and businesses offering a $50,000 reward.
Volunteers canvassed the community looking for the girl and papered the area with posters, flyers, and billboards. During a news conference on Friday, July 26th, Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said, "I come to you with some very great news. Maria Gomez-Perez has been safe in Dover, Ohio, and she should be on her way home here to Gainesville with our investigators within the hour."
Couch said that investigators found that the young girl had been communicating online with men, expressing unhappiness and saying she wanted to leave her home. He said investigators believe that the suspect, identified as Antonio Augustin, drove to Georgia to pick up the girl and then drove her back to his home in Dover.
Couch said, "Let me be very clear on this: Maria is the victim in this case. And remember, she's 12-years-old." Investigators began to hone in on the girl's location when she contacted her father using a new Facebook account a week prior, telling her father that she was OK and not coming home. She also asked her father to stop looking for her.
Investigators used that message to track down the Facebook page's internet address, leading them to a phone number associated with a home in Dover. Investigators traveled to Ohio and spotted the girl at a city swimming pool. Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Captain Adam Fisher said that Augustin was arrested and the girl was recovered after he drove the two from the pool to a Walmart.
Augustin is being held on a Georgia charge of interference with custody, but Ohio officials could later seek charges of rape and other crimes. Couch said Georgia authorities are likely to seek additional criminal charges against the man.
Fisher said that as of Friday, July 26th, Augustin had not seen a judge nor had a bail been set. He added that an extradition hearing to Georgia is likely in the next week with Ohio officials planning to prosecute Augustin after legal proceedings conclude in Georgia. Federal immigration officials have also placed a detainer on Augustin, indicating that they could seek to deport him.
However, Fisher said that he does not know Augustin's immigration status. The suspect's only previous encounter with law enforcement in Tuscarawas County was in 2021 when he was cited for driving without a license and with an open container of alcohol.
Couch concluded his remarks during the press conference with a warning to parents about watching their children's online activity. He said, "Technology is a wonderful thing. It helped us locate Maria, but technology can also be used for evil. It's why Maria was able to leave Gainesville with a stranger and travel nine hours away from home. So please, know what your children are doing and who they're communicating with. They're our most vulnerable and our most valuable citizens and it is our duty to take care of them."
According to KAKE, the girl, Maria Gomez-Perez was last seen at the home of her father, Andres Gomez, on May 29th in Gainesville, Georgia. She was reported missing a day later, on May 30th. Her disappearance sparked a search that included local authorities and businesses offering a $50,000 reward.
Volunteers canvassed the community looking for the girl and papered the area with posters, flyers, and billboards. During a news conference on Friday, July 26th, Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said, "I come to you with some very great news. Maria Gomez-Perez has been safe in Dover, Ohio, and she should be on her way home here to Gainesville with our investigators within the hour."
Couch said that investigators found that the young girl had been communicating online with men, expressing unhappiness and saying she wanted to leave her home. He said investigators believe that the suspect, identified as Antonio Augustin, drove to Georgia to pick up the girl and then drove her back to his home in Dover.
Couch said, "Let me be very clear on this: Maria is the victim in this case. And remember, she's 12-years-old." Investigators began to hone in on the girl's location when she contacted her father using a new Facebook account a week prior, telling her father that she was OK and not coming home. She also asked her father to stop looking for her.
Investigators used that message to track down the Facebook page's internet address, leading them to a phone number associated with a home in Dover. Investigators traveled to Ohio and spotted the girl at a city swimming pool. Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Captain Adam Fisher said that Augustin was arrested and the girl was recovered after he drove the two from the pool to a Walmart.
Augustin is being held on a Georgia charge of interference with custody, but Ohio officials could later seek charges of rape and other crimes. Couch said Georgia authorities are likely to seek additional criminal charges against the man.
Fisher said that as of Friday, July 26th, Augustin had not seen a judge nor had a bail been set. He added that an extradition hearing to Georgia is likely in the next week with Ohio officials planning to prosecute Augustin after legal proceedings conclude in Georgia. Federal immigration officials have also placed a detainer on Augustin, indicating that they could seek to deport him.
However, Fisher said that he does not know Augustin's immigration status. The suspect's only previous encounter with law enforcement in Tuscarawas County was in 2021 when he was cited for driving without a license and with an open container of alcohol.
Couch concluded his remarks during the press conference with a warning to parents about watching their children's online activity. He said, "Technology is a wonderful thing. It helped us locate Maria, but technology can also be used for evil. It's why Maria was able to leave Gainesville with a stranger and travel nine hours away from home. So please, know what your children are doing and who they're communicating with. They're our most vulnerable and our most valuable citizens and it is our duty to take care of them."
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