Man Charged With Kidnapping In 14-Year-Old Girl's Disappearance
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - A man is accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl from Greene County.
"I was so scared she wasn't returning. You see so many children who don't make it home," said her mother Heidi Britton.
However, Heidi is breathing a sigh of relief. Her daughter Zaria is safe after she disappeared early Tuesday. Zaria was staying with her grandmother in Waynesburg when she took off in her jeep with $500 in cash and her cell phone, investigators said.
Britton and Jordan were found in a hotel room Tuesday night in Lewisburg, West Virginia, about 200 miles south of Waynesburg, court paperwork said. Police said they were able to find the two by pinging Jordan's cell phone.
"She knows him through me because he's an ex of mine. I cut off all ties, wouldn't let him talk to her," said Heidi.
However, Heidi says he wouldn't leave Zaria alone and had a feeling she was with Jordan when she vanished.
"I knew immediately because I had known what had happened prior where he had tried to get her to meet him places," said Heidi.
Jordan is facing multiple charges, including felony kidnapping, corruption of minors and theft, Greene County District Attorney David Russo announced Wednesday.
Jordan is in custody in West Virginia, awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania. He's also facing possible charges in West Virginia, Greene County District Attorney David Russo said.
"We are currently investigating their relationship, but I believe the facts do support the charge of kidnapping," said Russo. "I know she was taken a long distance away to Lewisburg, West Virginia and at her age, she can't consent to being taken by someone who is not a family member."
Heidi picked up her daughter Wednesday morning at a truck stop near the state line.
"It's pretty sad when you find your daughter standing there with what looks to be barely any clothes on and drug right off the street," said Heidi.
It's a vision Heidi says she's trying to shake, telling parents this: "If your child is withdrawing, there's a reason."
"The quick resolution of this abduction and reunification of the family is due to the diligent efforts of my office County Detective and Waynesburg Borough Police," Russo said in a statement. "Human trafficking and child abduction are a severe problem affecting all of our communities and these investigations and police response time are a priority of my office."
