A 43-year-old man from Buffalo, New York, has been arrested on federal sexual exploitation charges following an investigation tied to a missing teenage girl from Colerain Township, Ohio.
Arrest Made After Multi-State Investigation
Kyle D. Lawrence was taken into custody at his residence in Buffalo on Thursday and appeared in federal court the following day. The arrest comes after authorities began investigating the disappearance of 16-year-old Madison Fields earlier this month.
Madison was last seen around 4 p.m. on February 13. The case quickly escalated when officers reviewed home surveillance footage that revealed she had previously entered a black Jeep Grand Cherokee with New York license plates in January.
Surveillance, Rental Records & Hotel Stay Raise Red Flags
Investigators traced the vehicle using license plate readers and rental documentation. Records allegedly confirmed that Lawrence rented the Jeep and that he and the teen stayed together at a Cincinnati hotel on January 31.
Further details from charging documents state that Lawrence admitted to communicating with the teenager through Snapchat. Authorities say he traveled to the Cincinnati area twice in January to meet her…