On March 1, 2023, at 9:30 am, a 13-year-old girl disappeared from the Dallas, Texas apartment complex where she lived with her mother, Esthela. In an effort to protect her identity, I will refer to her by her initials, K.R.
Esthela immediately reported K.R. missing. Investigators searched through the teen’s Discord account (an online messaging platform) and discovered disturbing conversations between K.R. and a strange man. He groomed K.R. for months, lured her outside, and picked her up in his vehicle.
Texas FBI agents obtained his license plate number through CCTV footage and learned that it was registered to a home 966 miles away in Lexington, North Carolina.
On March 10th, local authorities went to the home located at 10438 Linwood Southmont Rd and detained 34-year-old Jorge Ivan Santos Camacho during a traffic stop as he attempted to flee the scene.
Investigators searched an outdoor shed and found K.R. locked inside. She was rescued, taken to the hospital, and finally reunited with her family.
The owner of the home, Trop Sim, later told news reporters that she had been renting her shed to Jorge, a friend of her son’s, for two years. Jorge reportedly lived in the shed which only contained a mattress and a TV. Trop stated she had no idea that Jorge had someone locked inside her shed,
Jorge has been charged with multiple felonies. He is being held on a $1,250,000 bond.
In a press conference, authorities stressed the importance of making sure parents are aware of who their kids are talking to online, especially on platforms like Discord which is notorious for s*x trafficking and online grooming. Another app called Kik is also used to lure children away and is even more dangerous since it doesn’t save conversations or user details.
Fortunately for Esther, her daughter was rescued and returned home safe and sound. She says she is now focused on healing and will do everything she can to support her child, “We’re going to work together, get as much help as we can, and grow stronger. It could have been a lot worse. It could have, and we’re lucky that it wasn’t…Tears, hugs, and a learning experience for all of us.”
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