Tips For Protecting Kids After Kidnapped 13-Year-Old Girl Found Locked In Shed

DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. – It’s inside this shed, where investigators found the 13-year-old girl, in Davidson County, about 60 miles from Charlotte.

Police say the suspect, Jorge Camacho, met the girl online and enticed her to leave her home in Texas.

“I was very surprised because I didn’t know what was going on. They didn’t tell me nothing,” says property owner Trop Sim.

She says she let Camacho stay on her property because he’s friends with her son.

“I just took him in, help him out because he got no place to stay,” she says.

She says she had no idea about the girl being held captive in the shed.

“Unfortunately, these offenders, they are experts at the grooming process, and so they’re really able to take advantage of children when their activities are secret,” explains Leemie Kahng-Sofer, with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

She says parents should be involved in their children’s online life.

“Ask about what they’re doing. Take some genuine interest. Provide guidance but try not to be judgmental. Ask them about their favorite apps or games, who they interact with, what they’re doing,” Kahng-Sofer says.

She also says make sure you know who can see their account and who they interact with.

“Know their friends, contact and followers, make sure that they’re known and trusted individuals, I think there’s a lot of trust out there and children and juveniles have a tendency to say like, “oh yeah, we can be friends,'” Khang-Sofer says.