Texas authorities say a 12-year-old Houston girl who disappeared for over a week, allegedly with a 27-year-old kidnapping suspect, was using a dating app called Tagged.
The girl was reported missing Feb. 22, when she was seen getting into a vehicle in the 7700 block of Waterchase Drive in Missouri City, Texas, around 1:40 a.m.
On March 1, Columbus Police were informed the suspect may be in their city limits and ultimately found and “attempted to detain” Sirterryon Preston “in reference to having possession of the missing juvenile,” Columbus Police said in a press release.
“Preston attempted to flee police custody but was captured and arrested,” police said. The suspect is charged with evading arrest and was taken to the Colorado County Detention Facility. Authorities are eyeing more charges pending an FBI investigation into the girl’s disappearance.
Tagged, a dating app for people 17 years or older, is owned by the Meet Group, the dating app network company behind MeetMe, hi5, LOVOO, Growlr and Skout.
“We were deeply saddened to learn the news of [the girl’s] disappearance and are relieved by her safe return,” the Meet Group told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of the community on our platforms every day. As such, we proactively reached out to Houston law enforcement to offer any assistance we could as soon as we became aware of the situation.”
The Meet Group noted that Tagged’s policies “prohibit minors” from using its dating apps, and the company utilizes “both technology and manual analysis to help check for minors who may have registered for our platform using a false age.
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“Should we be made aware of any attempts to circumvent our process, we thoroughly investigate any report involving a possible minor user or child exploitation,” the company added. “We invest significantly in these efforts, and while we know that, sadly, there is no way to make this process completely infallible, we are continuously evolving to stay at the forefront of best-in-class safety practices.”
Dr. John DeGarmo, founder and director of the Foster Care Institute, told Fox News Digital children will often turn to dating apps and other platforms to get attention when they are not receiving enough love or attention at home.
“I think all dating sites present a risk to children,” DeGarmo said. “I know Tagged has some type of policy where they don’t allow kids under the age of 17, but how many children, like this girl here, are on it? I imagine there are thousands of children on these sites.”
Sexual predators are also on dating sites looking to groom minors, DeGarmo added.
The child safety advocate said parents should have regular conversations with their children about the dangers of dating apps and social media platforms in general, where predators may be seeking to connect with minors. Parents should also monitor their children’s activity online, he said.
“Parents have to be vigilant with their children in a number of matters. … Parents have to form strong, healthy relationships with their children so their children are not looking for these relationships elsewhere,” DeGarmo said, adding that children coming from broken homes or who don’t have “loving parental figures” will look for “what they are lacking in their life” on social media and dating websites.
Kris Perry, executive director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, told Fox News Digital “there is limited existing research into how many teens are using dating apps, much less the risks or outcomes of this use.”
“There is evidence that predators target minors through social media apps, knowledge that has guided some of the recommended protections we see in legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act,” Perry said.
“We can reasonably expect that dating apps are no different, except that for many of these apps, users are supposed to be at least 18. Without knowing many details, this case (and many like it) are examples of why we need a stronger understanding of how youth may be using these apps, what risks may exist and what changes can be made to create safer online experiences.”
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