Missing Hall County 12-year-old found with 34-year-old man she met online, deputies say

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Nearly two months after a 12-year-old girl went missing in Hall County, she has finally been found safe. 

Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said that Maria Gomez-Perez was found Thursday in Dover, Ohio, with 34-year-old Antonio Agustin, whom she is believed to have met online. She is expected to be back in Georgia on Friday afternoon.

Investigators believe that Gomez-Perez had been communicating with the man via Facebook and had told him she was unhappy and wanted to leave home. Despite the communication, Sheriff Couch reiterated that “Maria is the victim.”

Authorities said the man drove from Ohio to Gainesville, Georgia, on May 29, picked Maria up, and then traveled back to his home in Dover, Ohio, where they are believed to have been since. 

Sheriff Couch said Maria had recently reached out to her father online to let him know that she was safe and did not want to return home. Deputies were able to find Maria by tracking the IP address of the device she used to contact her father, which led to her rescue. 

“Technology can be a wonderful thing. It helped us locate Maria” said Sheriff Couch. “But, technology can also be used for evil. It’s why Maria was able to leave Gainesville with a stranger and travel nine hours from her home. So, please, know what your children are doing and who they’re communicating with. They’re our most vulnerable citizens, and we need to keep them safe.”

Couch says Agustin was arrested and is being held in Ohio on criminal charges. He will likely face several felonies in both Ohio and Georgia. 

You can watch Friday’s full news conference in the video below. 

Maria Gomez-Perez was last seen on May 29 in the driveway of her home on Westside Drive and was reported missing a day later on May 30. In the months since, numerous law enforcement agencies, her family and community members have worked tirelessly to help find Maria and bring her home.

“Maria is safe and OK,” the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said on social media Thursday night. “The tireless work of our CIB, law enforcement partners and the community has resulted in the best possible outcome,” Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said. “Our prayers for Maria’s safe return have been answered.”

There was a $50,000 reward being offered to anyone who could help find Maria. 

This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.

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