AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora girl who was found safe in Las Vegas after she was reported missing nearly two weeks ago could “very well be part of a bigger human trafficking case,” an Aurora official said Thursday.
Erica "Ember" Long, 14, disappeared on June 15 from the area of E-470 and Gartrell Road in Aurora. On Wednesday, police announced that the girl had not only been safely located, but that they had also arrested 26-year-old Christian Williamson in connection with her disappearance.
Marc Paolino, the commander of the Aurora Police Department’s Investigation bureau, provided additional details about what led to the arrest as he announced that a second suspect, only identified as Cameron Scruggs, had also been arrested in Las Vegas.
During a news conference at Aurora police headquarters, Paolino also revealed that in the last couple of hours, detectives had also learned that they believe a woman may have also been involved as an accomplice in the case, but investigators were still working to identify her.
Possible runaway report becomes human trafficking investigation
The investigation into the missing girl began on June 15, when police received the first 911 call from family members that the child may have possibly run away. But at about 2 a.m. on June 16, police later found out that Williamson had driven to the girl’s house and picked her up and took her to a hotel in Lakewood.
Paolino said that the following day, on Tuesday, June 17, Scruggs had driven from Las Vegas to Colorado, where Williamson handed over the victim. A woman was with Scruggs at the time, but her identity has not been released as the investigation is still ongoing.
About a week after she went missing, family members contacted police again to let detectives know they had found the missing girl’s journal, where investigators discover “a detailed plan of the runaway,” which included names of potential suspects and social media accounts that lead police to Wiliamson and Scruggs, Paolino said.
He said Aurora police expanded their investigation as soon as they found out that Williamson was a resident of Kremmling, where he was arrested at his home earlier this week.
Paolino said Williamson provided Scruggs name to police, and investigators then reached out to law enforcement in Las Vegas where the second suspect was eventually found, along with the 14-year-old girl inside a house. Paolino could not say if the girl was being held captive when she was found by law enforcement.
Williamson faces several charges, including internet sexual exploitation of a child and internet luring of a child that stems from alleged communication between Williamson and the 14-year-old girl dating back several months, according to Aurora police. He is currently booked into the Grand County Jail, Paolino said.
Scruggs, on the other hand, is facing kidnapping charges in Colorado and a statutory sexual seduction charge by a person 21 or older in Nevada, where he is currently in custody, Paolino added.
Additional charges against both are expected, he said.
Paolino said Aurora police are still investigating how Williamson and Scruggs came to know each other and whether they are part of a larger group dealing in sex trafficking of children given “the level of planning that went into this and the level of time it took to gain the trust of the [girl] online.”
Aurora police urge parents to get involved with their child’s lives
Calling the girl’s disappearance a “frightening and traumatic event” for everyone involved, Paolino took the time during Thursday’s news conference to urge Colorado parents to get involved in their kids’ lives by constantly checking what their children are doing online and through apps on their phones.
“If you're afraid or uncomfortable in doing that, then that's a problem, because the entire world has access to your child through their electronic device. And we need to remember that as parents,” Paolino said.
He suggested parents concerned about what their children are doing but who don’t know how to approach the topic check out the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website, which has all kinds of guides for parents on how to start conversations about appropriate online behavior as well as how to make sure their children aren’t getting into trouble when parents aren’t watching.
“In this tragic situation, we were very, very fortunate that we found her. It could have had a very bad ending, but it didn't,” Paolino said. “But if you look at stuff and look at pictures and texts; you're in there, you're asking questions, you're being part of your child's life – they might hate you for it for a little bit, but hopefully someday, thank you for it.”
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