A 12-year-old girl whose disappearance galvanized a Georgia community has been found in Ohio. Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said Friday that Maria Gomez-Perez was found Thursday in Dover, about 70 miles south of Cleveland, in the company of a Guatemalan man who's now jailed, per the AP. "I come to you with some very great news," Couch told reporters in a news conference. "Maria Gomez-Perez has been [found] safe in Dover, Ohio, and she should be on her way home here to Gainesville with our investigators within the hour." Gomez-Perez was last seen at the home of her father, Andres Gomez, on May 29 in Gainesville, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. She was reported missing a day later. Gomez-Perez's disappearance sparked a huge search, with 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 even billboards seeking the girl's return. Couch said investigators found Gomez-Perez had been communicating online with men, expressing unhappiness and saying she wanted to leave home. He said investigators believe Antonio Agustin drove to Georgia, picked up Gomez-Perez, and drove her back to Agustin's home in Dover. While Couch said Agustin is 31 years old, Ohio jail records list him as 34. "Let me be very clear on this: Maria is the victim in this case," Couch said. "Remember, she's 12 years old." Couch said investigators began to home in on Gomez-Perez's location when she contacted her father using a new Facebook account last week, telling her father that she was OK and not coming home, and asking her father to stop looking for her.
Couch said 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. Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Capt. Adam Fisher says Agustin was arrested and Gomez-Perez was recovered after Agustin drove the two from a pool to a Walmart in neighboring New Philadelphia. Couch said Gomez-Perez was examined by medical personnel. Fisher said Agustin 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 Agustin. A hearing on extradition to Georgia is likely next week, with Ohio officials planning to prosecute Agustin after legal proceedings conclude in Georgia, Fisher added. More here.
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