Police in Pennsylvania say they discovered a missing 13-year-old girl alive and hidden inside a box in a suspect's basement, reports the Guardian. Authorities in Pittsburgh arrested 26-year-old Ki-Shawn Crumity last week, charging him with human trafficking, sexual assault, and related offenses. According to the criminal complaint, the girl went missing from her home in Baker, Louisiana, around October 20 after connecting with Crumity on Snapchat, per WTAE.
"This child … was groomed, exploited and then sexually abused by strangers who found her online," says Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. "This is just one example of the dangers of social media and of human trafficking." Investigators said the teenager traveled by Greyhound bus to Pittsburgh, where she was allegedly given cannabis-infused edibles and sexually assaulted over the course of a week. The criminal complaint also detailed that the girl slept in the basement with Crumity and a woman. Authorities tracked the girl across several states before Pittsburgh police, acting on a federal tip, found her in Crumity's basement in the city's Brighton Park area.
After her rescue, she was hospitalized, and officials said evidence of sexual assault was recovered. Two other men have been arrested in connection with the case. Ronald Smith, 62, was taken into custody in Columbus, Georgia, on charges including kidnapping, while Alvin Hanson, 64, was arrested in New Orleans for allegedly contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. More arrests might follow.
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