OAKWOOD, Georgia — Oakwood Police said a 29-year-old man from Los Angeles, California, had been chatting with a 14-year-old girl for several months on Instagram before he convinced her to meet him in a hotel room more than 50 miles away in College Park.
On Saturday, May 13, the teenager’s parents called Oakwood police to report their daughter missing. Oakwood Police Sergeant Chris Campbell said the teenager was last seen in their home the night before, around 11 p.m.
“They woke up and found her gone,” Sgt. Campbell said.
Sgt. Campbell was one of the responding officers on the morning the teen was reported missing. He said the teen had no prior history of running away. After searching the home and talking with her family, he and his colleagues needed to take a closer look at the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s disappearance.
It wasn’t long until Sgt. Campbell said they realized she’d been talking with someone online without her parents knowing.
Through good police work along with the help of technology, Oakwood Police tracked down the teenager to a hotel in College Park, which is about 50 miles from Oakwood.
“I immediately called College Park (police) and got them involved and sent officers out there,” Sgt. Campbell explained.
He added, “They located her in a room within the hotel. It was a Holiday Inn which is known for human trafficking.”
Sgt. Campbell said she was found with Christopher Daniel Sarabia, 29, of Los Angeles, California.
“He flew out from California to meet her, and the plans were that she was going to go back to California with him,” he said.
Sarabie and the teenager allegedly met on social media. The two had been chatting for months before they met up.
He added, “It’s very easy to manipulate them (children) and promise them big things and lure them in.”
Sgt. Campbell said the teenager, who isn’t old enough to have a license, used an Uber to get to the hotel in College Park. However, right now, police are trying to determine if Sarabia or someone else was inside the Uber when it picked the teenager up from her home in Oakwood.
“The arrangement was made by another person that was involved that we’re still trying to identify,” Sgt. Campbell explained.
College Park Police charged Sarabia with rape. Jail records show a Fulton County judge granted him a $40,000 surety bond, and he has since been released from the Fulton County Detention Center.
Sgt. Campbell said his agency, College Park Police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) are actively investigating this case. He said they’re looking into the potential of additional charges, suspects and even more victims.
As a parent himself, Sgt. Campbell hopes this case reminds parents to get involved in their children’s online activities.
“Know what your kids are doing on social media, know who they’re talking too, get in their phones, know their passwords,” he said.
Sgt Campbell also pointed out online video games that many kids play. He said a lot of predators use online chat forums to get access to children and start the grooming process right under parents' noses.
During a city council meeting on Monday night, Sgt. Campbell and two of his fellow officers were recognized for their efforts in rescuing the missing 14-year-old.
The Chief said, “We are proud of all three of these officers and their efforts, which likely resulted in saving the life of the child.”
If you know anything about this case, you’re urged to call Oakwood Police at 770-534-2364, College Park Police at 404-761-3131 and Greater Atlanta Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS(8477)
Contact the Human Trafficking Hotline
- If you suspect human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at (888) 373-7888.
- To report suspected human trafficking in Georgia, call the Statewide 24-Hour Human Trafficking Hotline at (866) 363-4842.
- If you believe a victim is in imminent danger, call 911 or your local law enforcement agency to file a report.
- For more information on how to get help for both national and foreign-born victims of human trafficking, visit here, Georgia Coalition To Combat Human Trafficking.