GAINESVILLE, GA – A 12-year-old girl from Gainesville, Georgia, Maria Gomez-Perez, has been found safe after disappearing two months ago, reportedly in the company of a 31-year-old man. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said she had been communicating with the man online before vanishing from her home on May 29.
Gomez-Perez was found in another state with the man, identified as Antonio Agustin, on July 25, according to Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch. While no charges have been detailed yet, Agustin could face felony charges for moving a minor across state lines.
Couch revealed that investigations suggest Gomez-Perez was conversing with Agustin and other “adult males” via Facebook and other online platforms, sharing her unhappiness at home and desire to leave. Sheriff Couch was clear in stating that Gomez-Perez is the victim in this situation, emphasizing her young age.
The case advanced significantly when Gomez-Perez contacted her father, Gomez Alonzo, via a new Facebook account, asking him to stop searching for her and letting him know she was unharmed and wouldn’t be returning home. Local authorities, in cooperation with law enforcement in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, traced the IP address from her message, eventually finding Gomez-Perez with Agustin at a swimming pool in Dover, Ohio.
Agustin was then arrested outside a retail shopping center, and Gomez-Perez was safely removed from the scene. Agustin is presently in Tuscarawas County police custody. Upcoming charges are anticipated from Hall County authorities.