FRANTIC SEARCH FOR MISSING MARIA, 12, ENDS: FOUND 600 MILES AWAY WITH MALE SUSPECT

Twelve-year-old Maria lives with her father, Andres Gomez, and cousin, Ricky, in Gainesville, Georgia. Maria's mother is not involved in her life.

On the morning of her disappearance, Andres leaves the house at 10 AM, assuming Maria is still asleep. He says goodbye to his nephew, Ricky, and heads out. When Gomez returns home that evening, Maria doesn’t greet him at the door. Concerned, he knocks on her bedroom door, only to find that his 12-year-old daughter is missing. The family frantically contacts neighbors and friends in search of her. Maria is reported missing.

Nearly two months later, the case takes a turn. Maria contacts her father via Facebook Messenger. Investigators trace the IP address and manage to locate the device. Maria is found with 31-year-old Antonio Augustin, a Guatemalan native living in northeastern Ohio. Police believe Maria had been communicating with Augustin online for some time.

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

• Derek Smith – Criminal Defense Attorney
• Dr. Jeff Gardere – Board Certified Clinical Jeffrey Gardere – Psychologist, Prof of Behavioral Medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine; Author: ‘The Causes of Autism” @drjeffgardere
• John Pizzuro - Raven’s CEO, Former New Jersey State Police Commander of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Former New Jersey State Police
• Titania Jordan – Chief Parent Officer, Bark Parental Controls; Author: “Parenting In A Tech World;” Instagram/X: @TitaniaJordan
• Nora Almazan - Author, Writer, Editor, Ghostwriter, and Reporter for Now Habersham

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