Sam Amico
A missing 16-year-old girl from North Carolina was found on Christmas Day inside a Kentucky home, where she allegedly was being hidden under a trap door by the primary suspect.
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Zackary Jones has been arrested and accused of sexually assaulting the teen. The two reportedly met online. Jones told police he eventually drove to Fayetteville to pick up the girl and bring her back to Kentucky.
Court documents obtained by WTVD say that Jones’ mother called police after what she described a fight between him and his girlfriend. When sheriff’s deputies arrived, Jones told them that there wasn’t a girl at his house, allowing them to do a walk-through.\
ABC 7 reports:
“During the walkthrough, officers said they saw drug paraphernalia and Jones tried to throw it into a wood stove that was in a bedroom. They restrained and removed him from the house, the documents say.
“They went back inside to continue their search for the teenager and found her inside a cutout door of the floor in the bedroom that was covered by a rug. Deputies checked the girl’s information on the computer and learned she was listed as missing out of Fayetteville, North Carolina, on December 6.
“The teenager told deputies Jones had engaged in sexual acts with her and strangled her while assaulting her. She also accused Jones of using crack and smoking marijuana with her. Police noted the girl seemed “high” when they talked to her and she was taken to the hospital for treatment.
“After being read his Miranda rights, Jones admitted that had been communicating with the girl online before driving to Fayetteville to pick her up from her grandmother’s house. He said he told the girl he was 19 but she noticed he looked older when he arrived to pick her up. He said he told her he was actually 25.
“After arriving in Kentucky, the girl said she learned from family members he was 34. She said Jones threatened her with a gun and told her to tell everyone she was 18. She said Jones threatened to shoot and kill her several times, adding that he also allegedly threatened to kill a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy after he stopped Jones for a traffic violation.”
He is now facing a whole bevy of charges, including assault, strangulation, rape and unlawful transaction with a minor.
