Guadalupe County, TX — A missing juvenile girl was safely recovered Monday in Kaufman County, and an 18-year-old Forney man was arrested on outstanding Guadalupe County felony warrants, according to the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office.
The case began July 22, when deputies responded to the 100 block of Hancock Lane in New Braunfels after family members reported that the juvenile had disappeared overnight and had recently met an adult male online.
Investigators obtained subpoenas and search warrants for social media accounts and later identified the man as Blake D. Teal, 18, of Forney.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, surveillance video showed the juvenile and Teal together at a pawn shop in the New Braunfels area several days after she was reported missing.
Investigators then obtained felony arrest warrants charging Teal with:
• Sexual Assault of a Child
• Harboring a Runaway
Additional search warrants were also obtained for social media accounts connected to the investigation.
On August 31, investigators with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division located the juvenile in Kaufman County and recovered her safely.
Teal was also located and arrested the same day. He was booked into the Kaufman County Adult Detention Center, where authorities said he remains pending his return to Guadalupe County.
The juvenile was safely reunited with her family and is being returned to Guadalupe County.
The investigation remains ongoing.
All charges are allegations. Teal is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.