The FBI is now investigating who a 12-year-old and 14-year-old were determined to meet when they stole a car and traveled over 200 miles.
On April 4th, 12-year-old Jade Gregory of Lake Butler, Florida, stole her parent’s Ford Taurus and picked up 14-year-old friend Khloe Larson. The girls were reported missing, and a statewide alert was triggered. Meanwhile, the girls made the five-hour drive to Bayou La Batre, Alabama. They were headed to Louisiana to meet someone they’d been talking to online. Authorities do not believe an adult accompanied them but feel they were being led to the state by one. When the girls saw themselves on TV at an Alabama convenience store, they decided to turn themselves in to the police on April 6th.
Both girls were successfully returned to their families. As of now, the agency is remaining tightlipped about who the person is and how long they’d been speaking with the girls. They are also trying to determine if the individual is a sex trafficker. Chief Deputy Captain Lyn Williams with the Union County Sheriff’s Office requested the FBI’s assistance after “suspicious circumstances” arose about the person the girls were speaking with.
The incident mirrors another recent case of a child disappearing after speaking with someone online. In late March, 11-year-old Havana Alexander vanished from her home in Rossville, Georgia, the same night she chatted with a stranger online. Luckily, she was located safely.
