Missing NC teen uses TikTok signal to get rescued from man’s car, KY officials say
A missing North Carolina girl was found in Kentucky after using a signal to alert others she needed help, officials said.
On the afternoon of Nov. 4, a driver traveling on Interstate 75 north of London, Kentucky, saw a female passenger in the car ahead “making hand gestures that are known” on the social media app TikTok to signal that the person needs help, according to a news release from the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky.
The driver called 911 and said the female “appeared to be in distress” and that the silver Toyota she was in was being driven by a man, who was later identified as 61-year-old James Herbert Brick, according to the sheriff’s office. The driver continued to follow the car on the interstate and update dispatchers on its location.
Investigators were waiting at an exit to look for the Toyota when the driver who called 911 told dispatchers that the car was taking the same exit, the sheriff’s office said.
“As the suspect vehicle exited, Laurel Sheriff’s detectives and deputies conducted a traffic stop on the Toyota passenger car and conducted an investigation on its occupants,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators learned that the girl in the car had been reported missing by her parents out of Asheville, North Carolina, on Nov. 2, according to the sheriff’s office. The teen told investigators she had “gotten with the male subject and traveled through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and into Ohio where the accused had relatives.”
“When the male subject’s relatives realized that the female in his custody was under age and reported missing, the accused left Ohio traveling southbound and the female juvenile then began attempting to get motorists attention to call 911,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told the Lexington Herald Leader that Brick and the teen were acquainted and that she first went with him willingly but became scared as they traveled.
Investigators also found that Brick, who is from Cherokee, North Carolina, had a phone that “allegedly portrayed a juvenile female in a sexual manner,” according to the sheriff’s office.
He is charged with unlawful imprisonment and “possession of matter sex performance by a minor over the age of 12 but under age 18,” the sheriff’s office said. He was booked in the Laurel County correctional center.
Officials are still investigating the case, and no other information had been released as of Nov. 7.
The gesture the teen used is called the Signal for Help. It was created as a discreet way to signal that a person needs help, according to the Canadian Women’s Foundation. It became more well-known during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it became more difficult for those “who are at risk of abuse or violence to safely reach out for help.”
The signal involved tucking the thumb into the palm of the hand then folding the fingers over the thumb.
“If you see someone use the Signal for Help, check in with the person safely to find out what they need and want you to do,” the Canadian Women’s Foundation said. “They may want to tell you what is happening. They may ask you to listen and be there for them. They may ask for help finding services. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency services (police, fire, ambulance).”
This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Missing NC teen uses TikTok signal to get rescued from man’s car, KY officials say."
