A 13-year-old Texas girl who went missing in February was found with a man more than 450 miles away in Mississippi, according to the Perry County Sheriff’s Office. The 27-year-old guy, identified as Jessie Thomas Patton, was arrested and charged with sexual battery and kidnapping, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
According to investigators, the missing teenager was last seen on April 6 “walking on Highway 98 across from Perry Central High School.” The school is located in New Augusta, Mississippi, about 110 miles southeast of Jackson.
“Perry County deputies contacted the juvenile at a residence off Highway 98, and after further investigation, they discovered she was reported missing from Houston, Texas, back in February,” the sheriff’s office said.
“The juvenile was transported to Forrest General Hospital to be medically checked, and then she was turned over to Perry County Child Protective Service’s custody.” According to police, the girl was “picked up from Texas” by Patton in February and moved to the home in New Augusta.
He was arrested on April 7 and is still being held in the Perry County jail on $250,000 bond, officials said.
Investigators did not say how Patton met the girl. According to authorities, the investigation has been turned over to the Houston Police Department.