Missing 15-year-old girl found after good Samaritan reaches out on Facebook: Sheriff
Authorities in Georgia are crediting the efforts of a good Samaritan with helping them find a missing teenage girl by using social media.
The 15-year-old girl was reported missing on Sunday after allegedly running away with the 34-year-old suspect, Dayton Seth Koop, on Monday, Murray County Sheriff Eric White told ABC News.
She had told her mother that she was sleeping at her grandmother's house, but when she got there, she changed her clothes and left in Koop's car, according to White.
Family friend Dakota Moss reportedly stepped in, White says, after seeing Facebook posts from the girl's family asking people if they may have seen her and seeking help with finding her.
Koop and the missing teen were posting updates on their Snapchat accounts, including a photo of the two of them together, White said. ABC News could not immediately reach a representative for Koop.
Moss took it upon himself to reach out to Koop on Facebook, according to White, to tell Koop that he had been following their story, and he wanted to help him by offering a hideout.
Koop allegedly thanked Moss and told him he would take him up on the offer, White said. Moss alerted police to the agreement and called 911 once Koop and the teen arrived at his home.
Sheriff's deputies found the girl hiding in the back of the car, covered in clothes. Meth was also found in the car, White said.
The teen was classified as a runaway who was not being held against her will, White said.
Koop is currently being held in the Gordon County jail on a $15,000 bond for possession of methamphetamine, contributing to the unruliness of a minor and obstruction or hindering law enforcement officers, according to inmate records. He has also been charged in Murray County with the interference of child custody, according to White.
