These days with how common the use of the internet is becoming especially among young people, it is getting harder and harder for parents to navigate how to teach their kids to stay safe.
This young mother from Texas thought she knew what her daughter was doing online but it turned out things had gotten very much out of hand…
A 13-year-old girl went missing from her home in the Dallas area of Texas. After she was reported missing, an investigation was underway immediately.
According to authorities, the teen met her alleged abductor Jorge Camacho online after which they arranged to meet in person. The grooming that took place took the child out from her home state of Texas to North Carolina where her alleged abductor resided.
“They discovered that the juvenile had been communicating with an adult male through social media chat platforms. The content of the chat was consistent with grooming and enticement, and he enticed her to leave home where he picked her up in the (Dallas) area,” Davidson County Sheriff Richie Simmons announced at a news conference about the incident.
READ MORE
The 13-year-old’s mother told WFAA Camacho that Camacho had met her daughter while playing online games and then the two had kept in touch by chatting with one another on Discord for “months”.
WFAA has only identified the mother by her first name Esthela in order to protect her identity as well as that of her daughters.
“It was very stressful and scary,” Esthela said. “We were hoping to see her again and thank God that was the case.”
As for Camacho, he faces eight felony charges, which include rape, indecent liberties with a child, and human trafficking, according to the details included in his arrest warrant. He’s in jail with a bond of more than $1 million.
The local police worked with the FBI in order to find the missing girl. They received a tip about Camacho’s whereabouts and carried out a traffic stop. They matched his vehicle with the one caught in security footage recorded near the apartments in Dallas where the teen was abducted.
Davidson County Sheriff shared they found the girl locked in an outbuilding on a property along Linwood Southmont Road.
After her rescue, she was taken to a hospital where she was treated. Since then she has been released and is back home with her family.
Others who lived on the same property as Camacho told officials that the alleged abductor lived in the outbuilding and that it was his “room.” There was a bed, television, and cabinets inside the room.
They added that they had no idea that a 13-year-old girl had been in the room as well, clarifying that while everyone on the property was friends with one another, they were not close.
“We’re going to work together, get as much help as we can, and grow stronger,” Esthela said about her family.
She hoped that this served as a warning and reminder for other parents to make sure they keep an eye on their kids. She added that she believed she was on top of everything. She knew her daughter was a gamer and even had her Discord password however, even that was not enough.
“We knew the risks, and we talked with her about them,” Esthela said. “But still this happened, it was something awful.”
“It could have been a lot worse. It could have, and we’re lucky that it wasn’t,” she added.
She shared how relieved she was when her daughter was found alive. She said about the reunion with her daughter, “Tears, hugs, and a learning experience for all of us.”
This was such an incredibly scary situation. We are grateful that the little girl made it home okay. Please join us in sending this family your well-wishes.
Share this piece with other parents so they can be more vigilant.
