Deputies arrested a Lake Worth Beach man Wednesday, after authorities found him in his home, with a 12-year Georgia girl he met online.
According to the arrest report, 19-year-old Martin Francisco Tomas was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail, and is awaiting extradition to Georgia.
The girl, who lives about 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, was located at Tomas’ home in the 700 block of A Street, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Her family reported to police in Cornelia, Georgia at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, that she had left home for a routine errand at around 11 a.m., but had not returned.
GBI agents are investigating after a 12-year-old girl went missing in Cornelia yesterday. She has been safely located in Florida. The early investigation indicates that she left home to meet a man she met on-line. The man is now in custody in Florida. https://t.co/uySXuACGks pic.twitter.com/aCrQaBkrEU
— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) July 15, 2020
The statement does not explain how authorities identified Tomas, or how they initially learned about the situation. It also did not elaborate on how Tomas traveled to and from Georgia.
PBSO says deputies who were alerted by Georgia authorities went to Tomas’ home around 7 a.m. Wednesday, where they arrested him and recovered the girl.
Meanwhile, Tomas is jailed on a Georgia warrant for interstate interference with custody, The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) says “additional charges are expected.”