Latest news with #ElihueMartinMahler
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
2 charged with human trafficking in connection to Spring Lake teen found in Dare County
LILLINGTON, N.C. (WNCN) — The Harnett County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that two people were arrested after a 15-year-old girl was found following a statewide Amber Alert. Sheriff Wayne Coats said in a press conference Thursday afternoon that 31-year-old Elihue Martin Mahler and 23-year-old Austyn Lee Cole were arrested in connection to this incident. They have both been charged with the following: felony human trafficking of a child victim felony kidnapping felony conspiracy to kidnap felony conspiracy human trafficking On Tuesday, deputies with the Harnett County Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Storey Acres Road in Spring Lake around 7:28 a.m. The teen's mother stated she had last seen her daughter around 6 a.m. Missing Harnett County teen girl found, sheriff's office says; Amber Alert canceled According to emergency radio traffic, her mother said she was going to get her water bottle out of the car and never came back in. The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons issued an Amber Alert on Wednesday at 10:46 a.m. Sheriff Coats said that the victim was found early Thursday morning in Dare County. Though she was found with no injuries, the teen was transported to the hospital for an evaluation. The sheriff said that cellular analysis and social media review were used to locate the teen along with the two suspects. Philip VanWyngarden with the FBI said that the suspects initially interacted with the teen online. VanWyngarden did not give details of the connection with the victim and the suspects but said that 'no minor goes willingly' in incidents like this. 'Any time you have a minor engaging with a predator online and they do something in the real world, or for that matter they do something online, they're minors. They are victims. They are being manipulated.' Mauler and Cole are under no bond and will have a first appearance at the Harnett County Courthouse Friday at 9 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
2 men arrested, charged with human trafficking in connection with abducted NC girl
Two men are accused of abducting a North Carolina teen who was later safely recovered by state and federal agencies, officials announced Thursday. Amber Alert canceled for North Carolina teen An Amber Alert was issued Wednesday for the 15-year-old girl who is from Spring Lake in Harnett County after she was abducted the day before. Her family quickly reported her missing. Agents learned two suspects took the teen to Kitty Hawk and Virginia Beach. The FBI worked with local police and the abducted girl was safely recovered from a home in Kitty Hawk. Austyn Lee Cole, 23, of Kitty Hawk, and Elihue Martin Mahler, 31, were arrested and each charged with felony human trafficking of a child victim, felony kidnapping, felony conspiracy to kidnap, and felony conspiracy, human trafficking. Both men are being held in the Harnett County Jail and are awaiting their first court appearance Friday morning. The Amber Alert was canceled on Thursday. The investigation is ongoing. VIDEO: Search for abducted toddler from Virginia comes to an end at relatives' home in Charlotte
