13-year-old girl who vanished in Texas found living with man in Mississippi, cops say

A 13-year-old Texas girl who went missing in February has been found more than 450 miles away in Mississippi with a man, according to the Perry County Sheriff’s Office.

The 27-year-old man, identified as Jessie Thomas Patton, has been arrested and charged with sexual battery and kidnapping, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Investigators say the missing girl was spotted April 6 “walking on Highway 98 across from Perry Central High School.” The school is in New Augusta, about 110 miles southeast of Jackson, Mississippi.

“Perry County deputies contacted the juvenile at a residence off Highway 98, and after further investigation, they discovered she was reported missing from Houston, Texas, back in February,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The juvenile was transported to Forrest General Hospital to be medically checked, and then she was turned over to Perry County Child Protective Service’s custody.”

Further investigation revealed the girl had been “picked up from Texas” by Patton in February and brought to the home in New Augusta, officials said.

He was arrested April 7 and remains in the Perry County jail on $250,000 bond, officials said.

Investigators did not report how Patton and the girl met. The investigation has been turned over to the Houston Police Department, officials said.

This story was originally published April 11, 2023 at 6:22 AM with the headline "13-year-old girl who vanished in Texas found living with man in Mississippi, cops say."