Authorities arrested the 35-year-old man from Wisconsin who allegedly arrested her.
A 13-year-old South Carolina girl suspected of being kidnapped by a 35-year-old Wisconsin man has been found in Florida, authorities said Tuesday.
The girl was reported missing from her hometown of Simponville, South Carolina, after she was last seen at her home Sunday night, according to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. The agency initially described the girl as a “runaway” in a social media post.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office in the Florida Keys said they received information that the suspect, Tyler Michael Barrick of Mukwonago, Wisconsin, who allegedly captured the girl, may be headed to the area. The man and the girl were found by deputies early Tuesday morning inside a pickup truck in the parking lot of a Key Largo shopping center, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said in a statement to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Barrick was arrested and charged with kidnapping. He was being held without bail at the Monroe County Jail in Key West, according to online records. His arraignment date has not yet been set.
Miami ABC affiliate WPLG reported that Barrick is awaiting extradition to South Carolina. Authorities said the boy met the girl through “online chat services and gaming apps,” according to WPLG.
The FBI is leading the investigation into the incident.
