Missing Roseville teen found: U.S. Marshals arrest 26-year-old man
Missing Roseville teen located, U.S. Marshals make arrest
After weeks of receiving tips that Saleena Fleenor had been seen at a gas station and a trailer park, U.S. Marshals found her in North Carolina. Even though the nightmare is over, the investigation is just getting started.
ROSEVILLE, Mich. (FOX 2) - The missing teen from Roseville was finally reunited with her mother after U.S. Marshals found her many states away. They say the man who brought her there is behind bars.
Timeline:
After weeks of receiving tips that Saleena Fleenor had been seen at a gas station and a trailer park, U.S. Marshals found her in North Carolina. Even though the nightmare is over, the investigation is just getting started.
Christina Harcus made a desperate plea to find her 17-year-old daughter after she ran away on Easter, April 20. On Wednesday, May 7, U.S. Marshals found her 693 miles away from home.
"We identified a person of interest that we believe drove up from North Carolina, took her back down to North Carolina where we were able to locate him at a long, extended-stay motel," said Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Watson.
What they're saying:
Watson, who runs the Missing Child Unit for the Eastern District of Michigan, says U.S. Marshals got involved this week on Monday, May 5. When his team located where the person of interest was in Raleigh, North Carolina, they reached out to marshals there who surrounded the motel and arrested him.
"He doesn’t seem like the type of person that would fight a dozen law enforcement. So, I believe he knew what time it was," he said.
As for Fleenor, she received immediate medical attention and emotional help. Watson says Harcus went to Raleigh on Thursday to reunite with her daughter.
As for the 26-year-old man, Watson says he’s in custody and facing a number of charges in North Carolina, including accosting a child for immoral purposes. "The detectives from their human trafficking unit are investigating deeper to see exactly what else could’ve gone on and potentially if there are more victims that he’s connected to," he said.
What's next:
Watson says the investigation is ongoing. His message to all parents is to know what your children are doing, especially online. He says the internet is one of the ways they connect.