KITTY HAWK, N.C. — Two men are accused of kidnapping a 15-year-old girl who was reported missing Wednesday and ultimately found safe in Kitty Hawk Thursday, according to the Harnett County Sheriff's Office.
"Agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, Kitty Hawk Police Department, Dare County Sheriff's Office, Currituck County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia Beach Police Department assisted this investigation," said Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats in a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Austyn Cole, a 23-year-old from Kitty Hawk, and Elihue Mahler, a 31-year-old from Virginia Beach, are both charged with first-degree kidnapping, human trafficking and felony conspiracy. That's according to deputies in Harnett County — where the teen girl is from.
"We understand the subjects in this investigation interacted with the victim in the online space. Unfortunately, we have seen previously in other investigations that FBI and our partners have worked, this ultimately led to a transition from the online space to the real world," said Philip VanWyngarden, assistant special agent in charge for FBI North Carolina.
Watch previous coverage: 2 accused of kidnapping, trafficking missing girl who was found in Kitty Hawk
The county's sheriff's office issued an AMBER Alert for the girl around 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The county is located between Raleigh and Fayetteville. That's over 200 miles from Kitty Hawk, where authorities eventually found her.
On Thursday, officials had probable cause connecting Cole to the girl's disappearance. Around 6 a.m., the Currituck County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team executed a search warrant in the area of Poor Ridge Road, where they took Cole into custody. However, they did not find the girl there.
Currituck County deputies say they later identified Mahler as a second suspect. They learned Mahler would be driving to the area of Poor Ridge Road that day.
When the car Mahler was driving was spotted in the area, the Currituck County Sheriff's Office says its SWAT Team executed a vehicle takedown. During the operation, the girl was found safe and Mahler was taken into custody.
"I think one of the things that that we see here is the an example of one of the biggest strengths that we can bring to bear collectively, our ability to work together," said VanWyngarden.
Law enforcement said they have a lot of evidence to look at regarding this situation, including fully understanding how Cole and Mahler came to be connected.
"We want to be able to lock that down and fully understand the nature of their relationship. It is one of many questions we hope to answer in the coming days in this investigation," said VanWyngarden.
Both Cole and Mahler were given $5 million secured bonds. More charges are possible, officials say.
