UPDATE #3. POSTED 1:45 P.M. FRIDAY: Eight weeks after her disappearance from her Gainesville home, 12-year-old Maria Gomez-Perez was located safe in Dover, Ohio, Thursday, and the Hall County Sheriff held a news conference Friday morning to discuss the end of the search for the youngster.
HALL CO. SHERIFF’S OFFICE NEWS RELEASE:
A male suspect, identified as Antonio Agustin, 34, is in custody in the Tuscarawas County
Jail in connection with Maria’s disappearance. Investigators with the Hall County Sheriff’s
Office (HCSO) Criminal Investigations (CIB) believe Agustin traveled to Gainesville and
picked up Maria on May 29, 2024, the day she was last seen at her residence on Westside
Drive. The pair traveled back to Agustin’s home in Dover the same day.
“We believe Maria had been communicating for a time with Mr. Augustin via Facebook
Messenger and other online apps. Maria had indicated she was unhappy and wanted to
leave home. We also know she had been communicating with other adult males online,
telling them the same thing,” said Sheriff Gerald Couch said. “That said, I want to be clear that Maria is the victim here. She is only 12 years old.”
The break in the case came last week when Maria contacted her father via Facebook
Messenger. She had created a new Facebook page so she could reach out to him. She told
him she was okay and would not be coming home. He relayed that information to CIB
investigators.
Members of HCSO’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) obtained the IP address of the
Facebook page and were able to find the phone number associated with the account. They
were able to track the phone to a residence in Dover. Believing the information was a
credible lead to Maria’s location, HCSO sent four CIB investigators to Dover.
The investigators were able to track the phone to the Dover City Park swimming pool where
they made visual contact with Maria and Mr. Agustin. When the two got into a vehicle and
traveled to a nearby shopping center parking lot, they, along with members of the
Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office followed. They recovered Maria at the scene and Mr.
Agustin was arrested.
Maria was taken to a local hospital for a wellness check. She was reported to be in good
physical condition. Maria is traveling back to Georgia today.
The case remains under investigation. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office will bring charges
against Mr. Agustin after consultation with the Hall County District Attorney’s Office.
Sheriff Couch thanked the community for their ongoing support in HCSO’s search for Maria,
and he also implored parents, grandparents and guardians to closely watch their children’s
online activity.
“Technology can be a wonderful thing. It helped us locate Maria” said Sheriff Couch. “But,
technology can also be used for evil. It’s why Maria was able to leave Gainesville with a
stranger and travel nine hours from her home. So, please, know what your children are
doing and who they’re communicating with. They’re our most vulnerable citizens, and we
need to keep them safe.”
( EDITOR’S NOTE: Link to video of news conference: (9) Video | Facebook )
(Photo courtesy Tuscarawas County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office)