Missing 13-Year-Old Girl Found Locked In Man’s Shed Over 1,000 Miles From Her Home

In early March 2023, a missing 13-year-old girl was found and returned home after being held captive and abused by a man she met online.

The teen who lives in Dallas, Texas, met 34-year-old Jorge Ivan Santos Camacho online while gaming, and the North Carolina man allegedly groomed the child through chats on social media. Camacho drove to Dallas where he reportedly kidnapped the victim and drove her back to Lexington, North Carolina, where he raped her and kept her in a shed. MSN reported that he held her captive for “sexual servitude”.

Desiree Orta, the 13-year-old girl’s aunt, told WGHP that she searched for her niece with other family members, and they put up flyers and never gave up on finding her. Although she prayed and kept her faith that her niece was alive, she lamented, “I don’t even want to imagine what she endured during that time.”

Orta explained that the girl’s father helped solve the case after he found messages that his daughter sent and received on her phone. The victim’s mother told WFAA, "It was very stressful and scary. We were hoping to see her again, and thank God that was the case."

Investigators were able to track down Camacho and arrest him during a traffic stop. Then Davidson County Sheriff Richie Simmons and other police officers found the girl in Camacho’s shed. According to WXII 12, the inside of the shed had a television, a mattress, salad dressing, and a jar of peanut butter.

Other people lived on the property but had no idea that Camacho had a kidnapped girl in the shed. Trop Sim, the owner of the North Carolina property, told WXII12 that he was her son’s friend who she let stay in the shed because he needed someplace to live. She shared that he lived there for two years, yet he never revealed himself to be “that kind of person”.

Law & Crime reported that Camacho now faces multiple felony charges: two counts of statutory rape of a child under the age of 15, abducting a child, felonious restraint, two counts of statutory sex offense against a child under the age 15, human trafficking, and indecent liberties.

If convicted, Camacho is likely to be sentenced to life without parole. He is currently being held at the Davidson County Jail with a $1,250,000 bond.

During a press conference, Davidson County Sheriff Richard Simmons cautioned parents that this situation is becoming a major problem, saying, “This is how kids are sold into human trafficking.” He advised parents to monitor all online communication that their child has with others.

"What we are teaching our kids and our homes, it scares me. It scares me even more so that we have to have classes to teach our kids to be careful with social media," Simmons said. “Our message is going to be, please help us out. I'm very thankful. I thank God that we were able to find this young girl.”

Orta told WGHP that the family will make sure that her niece gets all the help she needs, then the family will also help educate other families about how to better keep kids safe online.

As far as Camacho’s future is concerned, in addition to the eight felonies he’s currently facing, more charges may be on the way. Simmons stated, “This is just the tip of the iceberg, we feel, so we’re still investigating this as well.”