Amber Alert for missing Texas teens canceled; girls found safe

GEORGETOWN, Texas — Editor’s Note: The above story is from July 4, earlier than the girls have been situated.

An Amber Alert for two missing teenage girls out of McGregor has been cancelled after McLennan County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Unit situated the girls unhurt in Georgetown, Texas.

Lead detective of the Unit, Joseph Scaramucci, tells 6 News the teens, Emilee Solomon and Aysha Cross, have been situated with a person who has been recognized as 30-year-old James Robert Van Houten. He is being booked into the Williamson County Jail dealing with two fees of harboring a runaway youngster. He will see a choose Tuesday morning.

Scaramucci says Van Houten has no relation to the 2 teens and had picked them up in Bellmead the place they have been with one other particular person. Van Houten then took the 2 teens to Georgetown. 6 News remains to be working to seek out out who all was concerned within the scenario however authorities are nonetheless investigating.

The girls have been situated with the assistance of information analyst from throughout the nation that helped officers establish possible places of the teens, in keeping with Scaramucci. He says with the assistance of contacts Monday, they have been in a position to get the missing teens to offer minor particulars about their location which led detectives to Georgetown.

“I think that this is evidence that when departments work together to find missing kids and partner with other nonprofit organizations, how fast we can make things happen and get the children located,” Scaramucci added.

The detective advised 6 News, the Snapchat message that was despatched by the teens that learn “help” was their “cry for help.”

“I think it’s evident that we need to take missing kids seriously,” Scaramucci added. “I would also say that we really need to be paying attention to who our children are talking to and what’s going on in their lives because this is evidence that things can evolve very quickly and the situation can get pretty bad.”

Both teens have been reunited with their households early Tuesday morning.

Georgetown Police helped the MCSO Human Trafficking Unit with the arrest late Monday evening. Scaramucci says there may be nonetheless loads to follow-up on with the investigation, together with others that presumably harbored the missing teens over six days.

Emilee Solomon and Aysha Cross, each 14 years outdated, had reportedly been missing from McGregor since final Wednesday. 

The McGregor Police Department issued an Amber Alert for the 2 missing girls early Monday morning.

The FBI formally joined the search Monday afternoon.

Cross’s mom, Shannon Harrison, advised 6 News on Monday that her daughter and Solomon are pals from faculty and had gone missing after a sleepover Wednesday evening. 

Cross left her mom a be aware later that evening which stated she would discover Solomon and “make this right.”

Harrison stated Solomon had initially gotten right into a pink automobile with a boy from the encircling space and was taken again to his home. However, Harrison stated the boy’s mother and father made him take Solomon again to her neighborhood together with a chaperon.

Harrison advised 6 News the boy helps police however some indignant group members are nonetheless threatening him. She stated that should cease. 

Solomon reportedly didn’t wish to be dropped off at Harrison’s home, and requested the boy and chaperon to drop her off a number of blocks away. 

Harrison stated Solomon, who had already destroyed her telephone, then requested to make use of a telephone to make a name, and disappeared. Neither teen has been seen since. 

Harrison stated the case was initially labeled as a runaway case and the McGregor detective assigned to it was not approved to place out an Amber Alert final week. 

The scenario modified early Monday morning. Harrison stated each she and McGregor PD have purpose to imagine the girls are in speedy hazard.

Harrison stated the FBI joined the investigation round 9 a.m. Monday.

One Amber Alert went out early Monday morning and one other went out simply earlier than 11 a.m.