A 27-year-old man has been taken into police custody for suspected involvement in the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl who vanished from her Houston home a week ago.
Sirterryon Preston was arrested by the Columbus, Texas police department on Friday, March 1st. The police department had reason to believe that missing girl E’minie Hughes, subject of an Amber Alert issued on Feb. 28, might be within Columbus city limits.
When the police tried to arrest Preston, he attempted to escape on foot, but was eventually caught and taken into custody, according to the post.
Currently, Preston is in Colorado County jail facing charges of evading, according to the police. Additional charges may be issued as the FBI’s investigation into the girl’s disappearance progresses, as stated in the Facebook post.
An X post shared on Friday by FBI Houston mentioned their successful rescue of another missing child.
A Houston police spokesperson informed USA TODAY that the missing girl was returned to Houston and transported to a hospital. The spokesperson mentioned that E’minie seemed to be in good physical health.
E’minie Hughes found safe in Columbus, TX
E’minie was reported missing on February 22 by the Texas Center for the Missing. Houston police reported that Hughes was discovered safe in Columbus, (Texas) recently. The department did not provide additional information because of the ongoing investigation.
The Houston police spokesperson informed USA TODAY that they are investigating the reason behind Preston being with E’minie. Houston police mentioned that E’minie may have used a social media app called “Tagged” before being located. As per Apple’s App Store, “Tagged” is a dating application with approximately 300 million users designed for individuals aged 17 and above.
The app’s website states that millions of individuals enjoy themselves and form new connections on Tagged daily. “You can do it as well!”
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The Meet Group, the parent company of “Tagged”, informed USA Today that they contacted Houston police to provide assistance with the case as soon as they learned of the situation.
The company expressed their sadness upon hearing about E’minie’s disappearance and their relief when she returned safely. We prioritize the safety and wellbeing of the community on our platforms every day.
The company’s terms and conditions state that minors are not allowed to use its apps. They use a combination of technology and manual analysis to identify minors who may have provided false age information during registration.
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