DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A 13-year-old girl allegedly abducted from Dallas was found in a locked shed in North Carolina over the weekend, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office accused 34-year-old Jorge Ivan Santos Camacho of kidnapping the girl and taking her to North Carolina.
Around 6 p.m. on Friday, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Texas FBI Violent Crime Task Force regarding the missing 13-year-old.
“We rallied our troops very quickly, within minutes,” Davidson County Sheriff Richie Simmons said. “We had some undercover vehicles watching the house where he was supposed to be and we held that down until other units could get in the area.”
The Sheriff’s Office said messages exchanged between Camacho and the girl on a chat app were consistent with grooming and enticement, and that he took her from her Dallas home on March 1.
Camacho’s vehicle was spotted on “camera activity” in Dallas near her home.
Warrants alleged that Camacho “took indecent liberties” with the girl and that she was kept where he was staying “with the intent that the 13-year-old female be held in sexual servitude.”
The girl was discovered in a shed, locked from the outside, according to detectives. The property owner said she was letting Camacho live in the shed because he was a friend of her son.
Simmons described finding the victim as “just the tip of the iceberg,” believing there was more to uncover. “I thank God we were able to find this young girl.”
Camacho was charged with felony abduction of a child, felonious restraint, one count of indecent liberties with a child, two counts of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sex offense and felony human trafficking.
Camacho is being held on a $1.25 million bond. The girl was treated and taken back to Texas.
“Parents have got to wise up,” the sheriff said during a news conference, referring to the chat platforms on which the teen allegedly met the suspect.
The victim’s mother is beyond grateful her daughter is home, and is now warning other parents to be aware of who their children are talking to online.
“We cried and I told her I was sorry for not being more involved with her,” the mother said. “I knew there was a chance I was never going to see her again. You know, I was heartbroken. It was just one of those things where you feel this won’t happen to your family.”
The victim’s mother said she gave her daughter a bunch of hugs when she returned home. Now, she urges other parents to “please, please, please” watch who their child is talking to online, on their phone, on social media, and wherever they are looking these days.
Simmons also urged parents to be more aware of who their children talk to online, saying that unfortunately, this happens more often than people think.
In 2021, a 14-year-old Denton girl was abducted in a similar situation and found in Arkansas, the sheriff said.
“We had the reverse side of it,” Simmons said. “We had a girl taken from my little town of Denton … a predator came from Pennsylvania to Denton and took a 14-year-old girl from here.”
He said that Arkansas officials were able to track her down and bring her home safely.
“Parents take it real. These predators are out here. They’re grooming and they’re going after your kids. It’s your responsibility to find out what they are talking to and who they’re talking to. And do everything you can to keep your kids safe,” he said.
Simmons said more charges are pending and some details cannot be released.
