UPDATED: Communication Records Leads Wilmington Police To Find 13-Year-Old Girl

A missing 13 year old girl from Wilmington has been found in Ohio. The girl left Illinois after babysitting for her younger brothers and was last seen near St. Rose Church on Kankakee St. around 5:00 p.m. Police were called by the girl’s stepfather just after 6:00 p.m, and alerted that the juvenile had texted family members that she was going to be leaving. The girl’s mother started looking into communication records and officers were able to determine that the girl had been speaking with a person from Ohio. Wilmington Police had WESCOM telecommunicators enter the juvenile’s information into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS) as a runaway. Further investigation developed additional information on the male adult that the girl had been communicating with. The teen willingly got into a vehicle with 21-year old male from Ohio who drove to Illinois to pick her up.

WESCOM personnel were able to pinpoint the male’s location. After relaying information directly to state police agencies in Indiana and Ohio, the suspect’s vehicle was observed by the Ohio State Patrol travelling eastbound on US Route 30 just over the Ohio state line. The Ohio State Patrol was able to get the vehicle stopped and found the girl uninjured. They placed the male, 21-year-old Andrew Boltz of Kenton, Ohio, under arrest and took protective custody of the juvenile. At this time the investigation is still continuing. Wilmington’s detective will be working with the State’s Attorney’s Office and federal authorities for the filing of appropriate charges.