SEATTLE — A federal grand jury in Seattle indicted a Michigan man accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl from Mount Vernon on a charge of traveling with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Keith Daniel Freerksen, 30, faces up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is being detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac.
The 14-year-old Mount Vernon girl went missing Jan. 5, according to case records.
An FBI agent specializing in crimes against children and human trafficking assisted local police with the investigation. Law enforcement identified Freerksen as a suspect after analyzing information on Uber rides purchased for the girl by an unknown person. Freerksen is a registered sex offender in Michigan.
Investigators tracked his movements across the northern tier of states using license plate readers and information about Freerksen's registered vehicle. They also captured his return trip through Idaho and Illinois in the days after the teen went missing, according to case records.
When police in South Haven Township served a search warrant on Jan. 31, they found the girl and arrested Freerksen.
The missing teen's mother told KING 5 in mid-January that her daughter had been lured by an adult with bad intentions. She also said she believed her daughter had been video-chatting with a random man whom she met online.
“This predator was able to use social media platforms to reach my child from across the country," the victim's mom said. "He was able to use these platforms to groom my child over an extended period of time. How many more children have to be victimized before these social media platforms are held to a higher standard? How many more families have to suffer, the way mine has? The lack of accountability, not only puts my child at risk for online predation but leaves all children at the mercy of those who seek them out online. This is a time for change.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Additional resources are available on the Washington State Department of Health's website.
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