A missing 12-year-old Georgia girl is found in Ohio after her community galvanized to locate her

Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A 12-year-old girl whose disappearance galvanized a Georgia community has been found in Ohio. Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch says Maria Gomez-Perez was found Thursday in Dover, Ohio. She was in the company of a Guatemalan man who is now jailed. Gomez-Perez was last seen at her father’s home on May 29 in Gainesville, Georgia. Her disappearance sparked a huge search. Local authorities and businesses offered a $20,000 reward. Couch says investigators found Gomez-Perez had been communicating online with men and saying she wanted to leave home. He says investigators believe Antonio Augustin drove to Georgia, picked up Gomez-Perez, and drove her back to Augustin’s home in Dover. Couch says he regards Gomez-Perez as the victim.