DECATUR -- What began as a simple Internet correspondence ended with the incarceration of a 45-year-old man and possible charges of rape and kidnapping.
This story, like so many across the United States, began with a 13-year-old girl starting an innocent Internet conversation with someone she thought was another juvenile her own age. But that soon took on a near tragic twist.
In a statement released by Keshia Guyll of the Benton County Sheriff's Office, David Duffin, 45, of Chicago, Ill., began an online chat in October of 2014 with the young girl who was also from Chicago. The two decided to meet and the pair left the Chicago area April 4 bound for Northwest Arkansas.
The girl's parents found a note on her bed. The contents of the note stated her intentions of running away. The parents quickly notified the Chicago Police Department, which promptly issued a be-on-the-lookout notice for both Duffin and the girl.
The pair allegedly checked into a Bentonville Motel 6, but a police raid at the motel failed to locate the missing girl or Duffin. Detectives then determined the pair was allegedly staying at an apartment in the Decatur area. However, when Benton County Sheriff's deputies raided the apartment on April 9, they found Duffin but not the girl. Sheriff's deputies later learned the girl was in Gentry and recovered her there.
Duffin was being held Monday in the Benton County Jail in connection with felony kidnapping charges in Illinois and with felony rape charges in Arkansas. Since Duffin and the juvenile crossed three state lines (Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas), he could face additional federal kidnapping charges. Duffin was awaiting a bond hearing and will be arraigned in Benton County Circuit Court, Division I, on May 18.
No information was given on the condition of the 13-year-old.
Police are urging parents to take a more proactive role in screening the content of their children's Internet usage to monitor with whom their children are communicating and to report any suspicious conversations to local authorities.
General News on 04/15/2015