GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A 14-year-old girl who was missing for weeks after disappearing from school has been found and reunited with her parents, Gwinnett police said Friday.
11Alive is not including her name or photo out of respect for her privacy; her name and photos have been removed from our past missing persons stories in this case as well.
According to Gwinnett police, the teenager was found in the home of a 41-year-old man in Morrow, in Clayton County.
That man, Russell Cheeves, is now facing charges in two jurisdictions - the charges include child molestation in Clayton County for alleged activity at the Morrow home and enticing a child for indecent purposes and interference with custody in Gwinnett County.
According to court records, Cheeves and the teen had sex numerous times and met on a dating site.
Police said the girl was found after "information was received that led the lead detective to believe that (the girl) was at a home on Sanders Drive in Morrow."
No further details about the tip that led to finding the girl were initially available.
Cheeves "is currently incarcerated in Clayton County on crimes that are alleged to have happened at the home in Morrow," a Gwinnett County Police Department release stated.
The case of the missing girl had drawn significant attention after she didn't come home from school on May 24. She was described as a student with perfect attendance and police characterized the details of this case as "circumstances outside her normal behavior."
Police said she had left toward the student parking lot and wasn't seen afterward; her cell phone was shut off a few hours later, her social media activity ceased and she had not had access to a money or car.
"Detectives have been working diligently to follow up on all leads in this case," GCPD said Friday.
The arrest in Clayton County was made by officers with the Lake City Police Department and Morrow Police Department, Gwinnett police said.
Emory University marketing professor David Schweidel researches Internet and social media safety.
“Just like we talk with children about stranger danger, those ideas have to carry over into the online space," Schweidel said.
Schweidel isn't connected to this case but has general safety tips for parents to keep children safe online. The first tip is to look for encrypted accounts.
“It might look on the home screen off of a device like it's a calculator app or it's an app being used with schoolwork when in reality it's a messaging app," Schweidel said.
He warns parents in general cases children can set up multiple social media accounts. He also encourages parents to know their child's social media usernames and passwords.
“This is connecting someone to the entire world, the good, the bad, and the ugly," Schweidel said. "We need to be thinking about that before we trust children with those capabilities.”
Another tip is to buy your children a basic flip phone rather than a smartphone. That way, they won't have access to the Internet and social media on it.