A 13-year-old girl who had gone missing was discovered alive, hidden in a box inside a man’s residence, where evidence of sexual assault was found, as per authorities.
Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, was arrested in Pittsburgh, US, facing charges of human trafficking, sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and corruption of a child. The teenager, a Baker, Louisiana resident, disappeared on October 20 after communicating with Crumity through social media.
Reportedly, Crumity is one of three men apprehended in an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies from various states. Louisiana’s attorney general, Liz Murrill, stated that the girl was groomed, exploited, and sexually abused by strangers she encountered online, emphasizing the risks associated with social media and human trafficking.
After receiving information from federal agents, the police found the girl confined in a box covered with a sheet in Crumity’s basement, located over 1,000 miles away from her home. She was promptly taken to the hospital, where evidence of sexual assault was documented.
According to a criminal complaint, the girl informed investigators that she connected with Crumity on Snapchat, who promised to assist her in getting adopted by a trusted adult. She recounted traveling to Pittsburgh via a Greyhound bus and staying in Crumity’s basement with him and another woman for about a week, during which he provided her with edibles (cannabis-containing food) and sexually assaulted her repeatedly.
The child mentioned that Crumity acknowledged her status as a runaway and expressed concerns about facing consequences. She reported feeling safest while receiving care at the hospital. Crumity allegedly confessed to engaging in sexual activity with the victim, as reported by PEOPLE.
Local officials released a statement indicating that the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s Special Victims Unit acted on a report from the United States Marshals, leading to the rescue of the juvenile victim from Louisiana at an address in Pittsburgh.
Another individual, Ronald Smith, 62, was also arrested in connection with the girl’s disappearance. Smith and another man, Alvin Hanson, allegedly transported her from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Georgia before sending her on a bus northward.
Smith faces accusations of simple kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, while Hanson, 64, was arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, as per authorities. Further arrests are anticipated in the ongoing investigation.
WAFB, a Louisiana news station, reported that a man and a woman from the Washington DC area were present in Crumity’s basement at the time of the girl’s rescue.