U.S. Marshals Locate Missing Michigan Teen in North Carolina, Arrest Person of Interest

Detroit, MI – U.S. Marshals in North Carolina May 7 recovered a Roseville teen who was reported missing April 20 and arrested a person of interest in her disappearance.

Roseville Police were contacted at approximately 8:20 a.m. Easter morning and, after working with several local agencies to locate the teenage child to no avail, referred the case to the Roseville detective bureau April 21. Roseville police obtained CCTV footage from a local gas station showing the teen purchasing a bottle of water before exiting the store.  

April 30, based on a tip the child had been spotted in neighboring Clinton Township, detectives from Roseville Police, along with other local agencies, canvassed the area of Hayes and Clinton River roads and learned the child had been seen in a trailer park just days before.

Roseville Police contacted the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in the Eastern District of Michigan May 5 and requested assistance from the agency’s Missing Child Unit.  USMS investigators developed information that the child, deemed by the agency a critically missing and endangered, had been in the area as recently as May 4 and were able to obtain surveillance video of her.  

After executing numerous search warrants, USMS investigators by May 7 had developed information regarding a person of interest they believed had come from North Carolina to Michigan and picked up the teen around 4:30 p.m. May 4.

That same day, USMS investigators in Michigan developed information the person of interest was at an extended stay motel in the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, and sent a collateral lead to USMS investigators in the Eastern District of North Carolina, who, working with members of the Raleigh Police Department, went to the motel where they arrested the person of interest, who has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The teen was located, safely recovered and transported to the Raleigh PD Detectives Division as the investigation continued.

“The U.S. Marshals Service holds the mission of locating and recovering critically missing children as the highest priority,” said Owen Cypher, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Michigan. “It is our honor to protect our most vulnerable victims, we will continue to support our state and local partners with this endeavor.”

“The safe recovery of this missing child reflects the power of strong partnerships,” said Glenn M. McNeill, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “I commend the dedicated personnel from the United States Marshals Service and the Raleigh Police Department whose collaboration, focus, and swift action brought this case to a successful close. Their work is a clear example of what can be accomplished when agencies operate as one team, committed to protecting our most vulnerable.”

"The Roseville Police Department is committed to investigating all cases of missing and runaway children who, regardless of age, face significant risks including homelessness,” said Roseville Police D/LT. Andrew Beemer. “We are grateful to the U.S. Marshals Service for their swift and professional work alongside our detectives to help bring (the teen) home."

“Protecting our children is one of our highest priorities, and we never take that responsibility lightly,” said Raleigh Police Department Chief Rico Boyce. “We are proud to have assisted in the investigation and safe recovery of a missing child.  The Raleigh Police Department is committed to standing with our community and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to stop those who seek to harm our youth. This work depends on strong collaboration, trust, and shared dedication to keeping our neighborhoods safe.”

In May 2015, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act was passed and clarified the USMS’ discretionary authority to support law enforcement requests for assistance on any missing child cases. As such, the USMS assists state, local, and other federal law enforcement agencies, upon request, in locating and recovering missing children, while focusing agency resources on “critically missing child” cases – those that involve a suspected crime of violence or where factors are identified by law enforcement that indicate an elevated risk to a missing child. 

In 2016, the Missing Child Unit was established within the USMS Sex Offender Investigations Branch to manage JVTA implementation. The MCU develops and manages training, guidance, and enforcement initiatives as well as provides overall oversight of the program. The MCU is in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and assists with missing child case information sharing.