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Search for missing 13-year-old New York girl leads to Chicago suburb
A missing girl from New York was found last week in a Chicago suburb with two men who authorities said were in the country illegally.
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. - A missing teenage girl from New York was found last weekend in a Chicago suburb with two men who authorities said were in the country illegally.
What we know:
The 13-year-old girl was reported missing after she left her family’s home in Rochester, New York on Sept. 11 and never returned, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Rochester Police Department was involved in the initial investigation, and on Sept. 16, requested assistance from U.S. Marshals in the Western District of New York to help locate the endangered child.
Surveillance video showed three people meeting the girl near her home and leaving in a light-colored SUV, authorities said.
"There were three adult males that came to pick her up at the house. When she steps out of her house, jumps in the car with them. And what we know at the moment is they drove about 10 hours to come pick her up," said Gadyaces 'Gady' Serralta, director, U.S. Marshals Service.
Investigators later learned the girl had traveled to the Chicago area — more than 500 miles from home.
Working in conjunction with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), U.S. Marshals, on Sept. 20, rescued the girl from an apartment complex in the 2300 block of West 119th Street in Blue Island, officials said.
During the search, she was located with an 18-year-old man and his 49-year-old father, both of whom Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) determined were in the country illegally, according to U.S. Marshals.
Serralta revealed the teen girl had been communicating with the 18-year-old online.
"There was an 18-year-old that was either texting or some other online social media presence and was able to bring her out and convince her to go with him," Serralta said. "And again, it's a 13-year-old child that can't make those decisions. And they were exploiting her in Chicago."
What they're saying:
Retired Naperville Police Detective Richard Wistocki, who is a cyber crime expert, advises parents to monitor the apps their children are using and keep tabs on who they are engaging with.
"Get monitoring software and put it in their kids' cellphones, because there's no such thing as privacy for children," Wistocki said.
Wistocki, who is currently a reserve deputy with the Putnam County Tennessee Sheriff's Office, said all too often parents think it won't happen to their child, but he said it can happen to anyone.
"The biggest mistake parents make is when you allow your child to charge their devices in their rooms at night. It's like you're allowing these traffickers and predators to go into your house — 'Oh, you're looking for her, she's down the hallway on the left,'" Wistocki said.
Parents can learn more and utilize resources on Wistocki's website, BeSure Consulting.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not identified the two men involved in this case, or whether they are seeking other suspects.
U.S. Marshals are not yet revealing which social media app the men used to connect with the teen.
Officials also say another teen girl was found in the apartment during their search, and they are working to identify her.
What's next:
The men who were taken into custody are being held on immigration violations until the U.S. Attorney's Office files formal charges, which are pending.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.