A missing 12-year-old Georgia girl is found in Ohio after her community galvanized to locate her
ATLANTA– A 12-year-old girl whose disappearance shook 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 (110 kilometers) south of Cleveland, in the company of a Guatemalan man who is now in custody.
“I have some very good news,” Couch told reporters at a news conference. “Maria Gomez-Perez is safe in Dover, Ohio, and she should be on her way home 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 (80 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. She was reported missing a day later.
Her disappearance sparked a massive search, with local authorities and businesses offering a $20,000 reward. Volunteers searched for the girl in the community, plastering the area with posters, flyers and even billboards demanding her return.
Couch said investigators found that Gomez-Perez was communicating with men online, expressing displeasure and saying she wanted to leave home. He said investigators believe Antonio Augustin drove to Georgia, picked up Gomez-Perez and returned her to Augustin’s home in Dover. While Couch said Augustin is 31, Ohio prison records list him as 34.
“Let me be very clear about this: Maria is the victim in this case,” Couch said. “And remember, she is 12 years old.”
Couch said investigators began tracking Gomez-Perez’s location when she contacted her father last week through a new Facebook account, telling her father she was fine and wouldn’t be coming home, and asking her father to stop looking for her. Couch said investigators used that message to track down the Facebook page’s web address, which led them to a phone number associated with a home in Dover.
Four sheriff’s detectives traveled to Ohio this week and spotted Gomez-Perez at a city pool. They later arrested Augustin and picked up Gomez-Perez. Couch said Gomez-Perez was being evaluated by medical personnel.
Tuscarawas County jail records show Augustin is being held on a rape charge. Jail records do not list an attorney who can speak on his behalf, and officials with the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.
Couch said Georgia authorities will also file criminal charges against Augustin.
Georgia officials initially faced criticism in their search for Gomez-Perez, in part because the Georgia Bureau of Investigation concluded that her disappearance did not meet the criteria for issuing an Amber Alert for missing children. Many Gainesville area residents are Hispanic and come to the city to work in the poultry processing industry, but most officials are not Hispanic, a potentially divisive issue.
“It’s hard to put into words what we saw. I’m just really, really proud of our community,” said Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon The times from Gainesville on Friday. “Our Hispanic community really stood up and made their presence known and said, ‘Hey look, let’s shine a light on this missing child.'”
Couch concluded his speech with a warning to parents to monitor their children’s online activities.
“Technology is a wonderful thing. It helped us find Maria. But technology can also be used for evil. That’s why Maria was able to leave Gainesville with a stranger and travel nine hours away from home,” Couch said. “So know what your children are doing and who they’re communicating with. They are our most vulnerable and our most valuable citizens and it’s our duty to take care of them.”