Parents track down man who kidnapped missing Tennessee girl, 14, and abandoned her in woods – The Mirror US
A 14 year old girl from Tennessee has been found after allegedly being abandoned in the woods by a man she met playing online video games.
Police have praised the parents of the girl who they say were key to tracking down the man cops believe was responsible for the kidnapping.
Alexander Materne, 28, is accused of driving the teenager to his residence in St. Rose, Louisiana, on December 23 and engaging in sexual activity with her. It was after this encounter that the girl revealed her true age, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office.
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Following the revelation, Materne allegedly took the girl to a remote wooded area in Tangipahoa Parish, leaving her with a tent, as well as food and water, before heading off to Jennings, Louisiana, to spend Christmas with his family.
Sheriff Gerald Sticker of Tangipahoa Parish revealed that the two initially connected over a gaming platform and arranged for Materne to travel to the girl's home in Tennessee.
Materne now faces several serious charges, including aggravated kidnapping of a child and felony human trafficking and carnal knowledge. Current jail records haven't indicated if he has legal representation.
The case saw a major development when the girl's parents conducted their own investigation, which led them to Materne's family in Jennings, Louisiana, roughly 160 miles from his St. Rose home.
Sticker praised the parents' investigative work, stating, "They were the key to all of this," and even joked, "I'm telling you if they want a job, I'll hire both of these parents as investigators."
On Christmas Eve, Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes reported that his department got a tip that Materne might be holding the girl in Jennings. When officers visited the family home, however, they were informed that Materne no longer resided there.
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The following day, police were alerted that Materne had stopped by the family home to celebrate Christmas and had consented to an interview with the authorities.
According to officials, Materne then led detectives to the girl's location in the woods, approximately 42 miles from his residence, where she had been for about two days.
"You can't make this stuff up. It's a Christmas miracle that she was found safe. This thing could've ended badly," Sticker said.
The girl was taken to a hospital for a medical check-up and later reunited with her family, investigators reported.
