WARREN CO., Pa. (EYT) — An area man is awaiting extradition after he allegedly took a 16-year-old from her Texas home without her parent’s consent.
According to a published article on WFAA News, 29-year-old Eric Tuazon, of Warren County, Pa., is being charged with unlawful restraint in connection with a case in Frisco, Texas.
Tuazon is also facing unrelated simple assault and conspiracy to file a false report charges in Warren County.
The situation started when Tuazon visited Collin County, Texas, in January. He allegedly befriended a 16-year-old girl online through the popular gaming platform Steam. The girl’s parents reported she was being home-schooled at the time due to bullying at school.
The girl’s mother reported that on January 15, she called her daughter down to dinner, but the girl didn’t answer. The mother then found a letter in the girl’s room explaining she had chosen to run away.
Her parents were concerned because the action seemed out of character for their daughter, who they reported is “very anti-social” and didn’t even like to leave the house with her parents. Her mother stated she believed someone else had told her what to write in the letter.
Her parents immediately reported her as missing to the Frisco Police Department. However, because she left a note stated she had run away, police encouraged patients and said the girl would “likely come back” or be found in the area.
The girl’s mother, on the other hand, feared the letter was left so that whoever took her daughter would face lesser charges if they were caught. She then began recording videos, posting them online on YouTube and Facebook, begging her daughter to come home.
She also kept an eye on her daughter’s checking account, which was connected to her own. It ended up being an important move, as she got an alert that cash had been withdrawn from an ATM inside a gas station in Bentonville, AR, just days after the girl disappeared.
She drove to the store in question, and was able to identify her daughter through surveillance video, but was unable to locate the girl immediately.
The real breakthrough occurred when she searched through the girl’s Venmo account. Venmo is an application people use to transfer money from their bank account for bills or to other individuals. The woman discovered that her daughter had transferred money to Eric Tuazon. She then searched his name and discovered he had a residence in Warren County, Pennsylvania.
The woman notified the Frisco Police Department about her discovery, and they obtained a warrant for Tuazon, charging him with unlawful restraint.
Frisco Police issued the following statement regarding the charges:
“The preliminary results of the investigation indicate that she left voluntarily with the male and they traveled together to Pennsylvania. While investigators have no information to indicate that she was in any danger at any time, because the male allegedly transported her across state lines without parental permission, a warrant was issued for his arrest for Unlawful Restraint.”
Tuazon and the teen were then located on January 31, and the teen was returned home. Her parents say she is currently undergoing therapy, and following her parents’ discovery that she had hidden her discussions with Tuazon through “Discord and Tor,” her internet time is being monitored, and her phone has been taken away.
