Rape Charge Filed After Missing NW Indiana Girl Found In Ohio
CHICAGO (CBS) – A 14-year-old Indiana girl once missing from northwest Indiana, was found four days later in Cincinnati, Ohio. Now, three men are charged in connection with her disappearance.
CBS 2's Jeremy Ross has more on who those men are and how they were captured.
"The FBI initially started this based off of information they were able to obtain during a social media type of investigation. It linked to a multi-state connection to those multimedia sources," said Union Township, Ohio Police Department Detective Ken Mullis.
Three men from two different states, include a duo are accused of playing roles in the disappearance of a 14-year-old Lake County, Indiana girl.
Eric Ho, 25, is charged with one count of rape; while Bryan Otero, 27, is charged with one count of complicity to rape, according to the Clermont County sheriff's office.
The girl had last been seen about 12:55 a.m. Friday in the 1100 block of East Highway 330 in Schererville, Indiana, according to the Lake County sheriff's office.
Around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, she was found in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was taken to a local hospital for a checkup, the sheriff's office announced Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they found the two men in an Ohio apartment complex, as well as the teenage girl.
The two male suspects were taken into custody by the FBI. An additional male suspect was taken into custody in Derby, Kansas.
The FBI said 21-year-old Ian Smith Buti from Derby, Kansas met the teen through online chatting applications, gained her trust and eventually drove her from her Schererville, Indiana home to the residence in Ohio, where she was eventually found. He then drove back to Kansas, where federal authorities found and arrested him.
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Authorities did not say whether the girl was taken against her will.
It is unclear how the three know each other, but what is clear is after nearly a week the missing teen was found and neighbors are shaken by the allegations.
"That's, that's pretty scary," said neighbor, Amy Parrett. "Especially if they knew the situation and they let it happen anyway. That's worry, that's worrisome."
It is possible all three could face federal charges and investigators are looking into if this is a human trafficking case.
The 14-year-old is safe and back in Lake County.
(CBS Chicago and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this copy. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
