MISSOURI CITY – Editor’s note: KPRC 2 is no longer identifying the child involved due to the nature of the victim possibly being human trafficked.
After 8 days of searching, a missing 12-year-old girl at the center of an Amber Alert has been found unharmed, according to the Houston Police Department.
She was located in Columbus, Texas according to police, over 70 miles from her home in Missouri City.
The Columbus Police Department has identified the suspect in connection to the case as 27-year-old Sirterryon Preston, of Houston.
On Friday, around 12:40 p.m., Columbus police officers were alerted to the child possibly being spotted in the city limits. When officers attempted to detain Preston in reference of having possession of the missing juvenile, he attempted to flee police custody.
Viewer videos shared with KPRC 2 show a large law enforcement presence at a Shell gas station in Columbus. Viewers said they witnessed Preston running from police.
Gas station employees told KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry that Preston was delivering chips to the business, but when he exited the store to get another load, he spotted law enforcement, dropped a dolly and scanner, then ran across the road. They said they had seen him before making deliveries in recent months.
A viewer eating lunch at a nearby Burger King said she saw police arrest Preston and walk him back to the gas station parking lot.
He has been charged with evading arrest and booked into the Colorado County Detention Facility.
On 03-01-2024 at about 12:40 pm, the Columbus Police Department was advised that a 12 year old female, who an amber...
Posted by Columbus Texas Police Department on Friday, March 1, 2024
Preston is expected to face additional charges in Harris County.
The young girl’s family reported her missing after she was last seen Feb. 23 around 1:40 a.m. outside her home on Waterchase Drive getting into a mysterious truck.
Police expressed concern that she may have been trafficked by someone she met on the adult dating app Tagged.
It’s not clear what additional charges Preston could face.
HPD didn’t release additional details, other than posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the girl was found unharmed.
According to the Columbus Police Department, she’s now being evaluated at Texas Children’s Hospital.