STANLY COUNTY, N.C. — Authorities said a 16-year-old girl who went missing in Stanly County Thursday morning has been found safe.
Thursday night around 9:15 p.m., phones across the Carolinas lit up with an Amber Alert about a missing Stanly County 16-year-old.
The teenager hadn’t been seen since Thursday morning around 7:45 a.m. when she was supposed to be heading to class at South Stanly High School. Instead, she reportedly got in a red Mustang.
Stanly County Sheriff Jeff Crisco told WCNC Charlotte the school's SRO contacted his office around 4:30 p.m. when they realized she never came to school.
The girl's parents were also notified.
However, by the time authorities found out the teenager was missing, investigators predict the suspect, 39-year-old Duane Bartlett, had already taken her to Alabama.
"He's in his 30s and he is communicating on a social media platform with a 15, 16-year-old kid," Sheriff Crisco said. "That disturbs me."
The teenager and her suspected predator met on social media and spoke on several different platforms for several months, according to investigators.
The Amber Alert issued by authorities Thursday night had little information. It read, "Stanly County, NC, AMBER Alert Red Passenger Car, Check Local Media."
"That was just what we had at that time," Crisco explained. "We just -- we wanted to get something put out as quick as we could."
John Bischoff with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told WCNC Charlotte missing child cases evolve fast, so it’s important police work fast.
“An Amber Alert is just that -- it's a call for public assistance to look at the information that law enforcement has so far," Bischoff said. "And if you see something that resembles it, record it.”
He added that the alert system helps law enforcement, even if there aren't many details for them to share.
Investigators discovered Bartlett lives in Montgomery, Alabama, and drove about eight hours through the night to pick the girl up from school. Police found them at his home less than 12 hours after she was reported missing.
"We were extremely fortunate we were able to find her," Crisco said.
The girl's parents drove to Alabama to pick her up and are relieved she will be okay.
The sheriff's office said Bartlett may have a criminal history in other states so they're working with the FBI on the case. Bartlett will be extradited to North Carolina.
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