Authorities have located a 13-year-old girl who went missing after meeting a man online. She was found alive concealed in a box inside the man’s residence, and indications suggest she was subjected to sexual assault, officials have disclosed.
Following his apprehension in Pittsburgh, US, on Thursday, Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, is facing charges of human trafficking, sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and corruption of a child. The teenager, a resident of Baker, Louisiana, disappeared on October 20 after establishing contact with Crumity via social media.
According to The Guardian, Crumity is among three men arrested in a multi-agency investigation spanning state boundaries. Louisiana’s attorney general, Liz Murrill, stated, “This child … was groomed, exploited and then sexually abused by strangers who found her online.” She emphasized the risks associated with social media and human trafficking.
Acting on information provided by federal agents, law enforcement officers discovered the girl confined in a box covered with a sheet in Crumity’s basement, far from her home by over 1,000 miles. Following the rescue, she was promptly taken to the hospital where evidence of sexual assault was documented, as reported by local news outlet WTAE.
Based on a criminal complaint detailed by the publication, the child informed investigators that she connected with Crumity on Snapchat. Allegedly, Crumity pledged to assist her in being adopted by a trustworthy adult. The minor recounted traveling to Pittsburgh via a Greyhound bus and shared that at Crumity’s residence, she, Crumity, and another individual, a woman, slept in a basement bed.
The girl disclosed that Crumity provided her with edibles, cannabis-containing food, and subjected her to repeated sexual assaults for approximately a week, according to WTAE.
She mentioned that Crumity warned her of potential repercussions and acknowledged her status as a runaway. The child expressed feeling safest while at the hospital, as per the complaint. Crumity reportedly confessed to engaging in sexual activity with the victim, as per PEOPLE.
Local officials stated, “On October 30, 2025, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Special Victims Unit received a report initiated by United States Marshals that a juvenile female victim from Louisiana was at an address in the 1200 block of Davis Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood,” in a press release.
Another individual, 62-year-old Ronald Smith, has also been arrested in connection with the girl’s disappearance. Smith and another person, Alvin Hanson, allegedly transported her from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Georgia before aiding her in boarding a northbound bus.
Smith faces charges of simple kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Meanwhile, Hanson, 64, was apprehended for contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, as per Brian Fair of the US marshals service.
Authorities have indicated the likelihood of additional arrests in connection with the case. Louisiana news outlet WAFB reported that a man and a woman from the Washington DC area