The FBI has rescued a missing Ohio girl from Florida after searching for a suspected kidnapper
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INTERMEDIATE: A 16-year-old girl, who had been missing for nearly a month, has been found safe following a federal investigation that led to the arrest of a suspected abductor, the FBI told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
The victim was reportedly found in a hotel room last Friday near Jacksonville, Florida, after she was reported missing in Ohio on February 16.
Investigators identified the suspect as a Tennessee man named Negron, whose charges are pending. Agents also discovered that Negron was connected to a separate kidnapping that may have occurred in 2024, in which he allegedly transported a 17-year-old Texas girl for sex.
The agency reported Friday’s arrest as the second successful reduction in child sexual abuse allegations in just one week.
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The FBI said multiple police officers are coordinating the investigation into the abduction of a 17-year-old Ohio girl. (Getty Images)
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the operation, which was coordinated between several field offices, as well as local police and the elite Hostage Rescue Team. He added that protecting children from violent criminals is a priority and that the groups “undoubtedly save lives.”
“This case is the best of the FBI working with great local partners: Acting quickly, using the highest technical skills, and using the best tactical methods to find the kidnapped suspect and possibly save the girl’s life,” Patel said in a statement.
“Protecting children from violent criminals has been a top priority for the FBI since the beginning, and every day our teams continue to do this across the country. Our field offices in Cincinnati, Nashville, and Jacksonville, working with our local partners – and our amazing Hostage Rescue Team – all did an amazing job on this case and undoubtedly saved lives.”
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A missing 16-year-old boy from Ohio has been found safely in Jacksonville, Florida, after a month-long search and investigation. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
State officials said the girl, from Colerain Township, Ohio, was found after investigators identified and tracked down Negron.
While a search warrant last Friday at Negron’s home in Tennessee indicated that the suspect had fled, law enforcement was able to track him and the vehicle later that morning to Palatka, Florida.
Negron was then arrested, and the girl was reportedly found safe in a nearby hotel room.
Charges against Negron are currently pending. Digital evidence is still being reviewed, although no child sexual abuse has been identified at this time, federal officials said.
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During the investigation, agents also discovered that Negron was connected to a 2024 incident involving a 17-year-old from Texas.
At the time, he was allegedly involved in two previous roadblock incidents with local law enforcement. He is accused of making threatening statements to the police, and a gun was found in his residence.
Negron’s remaining criminal history includes charges of domestic violence, theft, trespassing, criminal mischief and possession of marijuana, the FBI said.
The local district attorney did not file a case during the 2024 incident.
The FBI said it met with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio on Tuesday to discuss possible charges related to the alleged child sex trafficking of a 16-year-old victim.
Kash Patel appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP)
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After his arrest in Jacksonville, Negron was sent to Tennessee.
The FBI noted that this is the second time in just one week that field offices have worked seamlessly together to take down suspected child sex offenders.
The previous case, which saved the lives of a 13-year-old child and a 7-month-old baby, involved communication between the Buffalo and Charlotte offices.
