BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – A 15-year-old girl was found in Forest on Monday after being kidnapped by a man in February, according to the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.
Bedford County authorities began assisting the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in investigating a man and 15-year-old girl from Honduras who had been kidnapped.
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office said the girl, an undocumented citizen, was placed in a sponsor’s home in Middletown, Ohio by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
According to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the man who had kidnapped her, Isauro Garcia Cruz, was later arrested for the following:
- Kidnapping,
- Unlawful sexual conduct with a minor,
- Gross sexual imposition,
- Interference with custody
He was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a child and consensual sexual intercourse with a child 15 years of age or older in Bedford County. We’re told Garcia Cruz is an undocumented Mexican citizen as well.
“It’s hard to track somebody like that,” Bedford Co. investigator Giovanni Cucci said. “They don’t have documents. They don’t have papers. They don’t have information to be able to follow where they’re going from, and they can essentially hide from law enforcement.”
The teen was found in the 1200 block of Burnbridge Road in Forest on March 4, authorities said. It wasn’t immediately clear if she had been harmed.
“I can’t tell how we found where he is was at and the state he was in, but we have capabilities to locate him,” Butler County, Ohio Sheriff Richard Jones said.
Authorities said the girl’s sponsor is also an undocumented citizen and was the girlfriend of Garcia Cruz.
Bedford County Sheriff Miller said Garcia Cruz is being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail.
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office said it’s continuing its investigation into the incident to identify if the girl was a victim of human trafficking.
“We’re happy with the outcome and that the juvenile is safe and back in Ohio,” Cucci said.
Sheriff Mike Miller said what happened should serve as a warning to others.
“It makes no difference if you are illegal or you are a U.S. citizen,” Miller said. “Any gentleman that does that needs to be held accountable, and we will charge you as far as we can and as many charges as we can.”
The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Lynchburg Police Department assisted the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.