KENNER, La. -- A 13-year-old Kenner girl is safely back home a day after disappearing. Police say cell phone technology and surveillance images helped track down the teen and a 40-year-old man who is now in custody.
Investigators confirm he even helped the girl's family file a missing person's report.
"You never know when someone out there is preying on a child. They may become vulnerable at any point," said Lt. Brian McGregor with the Kenner Police Department.
On Monday in the 3200 block of Kentucky Avenue, any parent's worst nightmare became a reality. A police report describes how a 13-year-old girl's family reported her missing.
Initially they thought she as a runaway after $1,400 was taken from the home and the girl was nowhere to be found. But Kenner police say the case isn't so clear cut.
"We knew Myles worked here at a business in Kenner. We know during Monday night from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. He and the child were texting back and forth. We know shortly after he got off work, the child went missing," McGregor said.
Detectives say Jermaine Myles coaxed the teen from her house, initially taking her to the Contempra Inn on Williams Boulevard in Kenner.
Police say the 40-year-old knew the child and family, even helping to file a missing person's report with police Monday night.
Questioned by investigators, Myles allegedly showed them a text conversation he had with the girl. Police say he later deleted those messages.
While police continued their search, detectives say Myles moved the teen to the Rose Inn Motel in the 3500 block of Tulane Avenue in New Orleans, where he gave the girl marijuana.
"Most of the admissions came from him. There has been some sexual contact between him and the 13-year-old, so that's what resulted in his charges," McGregor said.
Detectives were eventually able to track down the teen and Myles after surveillance video led them to a cab driver who remembered dropping them off in Orleans Parish.
"You feel like it's a family member or a close friend. You feel like you can trust them, but you can't. You just have to be safe. You always have to be safe when it comes to your kids," said Mary Guillory.
The Kenner mother of two and her husband, Clyde, live in the neighborhood where the teen disappeared. They are relieved to hear the missing teen is now home safe.
The case serves as a reminder to them about why it's important to keep a watchful eye on your kids and their technological gadgets like cell phones.
"If you're not aware of what your kids are doing and keeping track of what they're doing and when they're doing it, it's very important to track that," said Clyde Guillory.
WWL-TV reached out to the teen's family on Wednesday by phone. The girl's mom says she is happy her daughter is safe and is thankful for the quick work of detectives. She did not want to speak on camera.
Myles faces several criminal charges including simple kidnapping, sexual battery, filing a false police report and theft for allegedly taking that $1,400 from the child's home.
