Two Miami felons are behind bars after being accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old runaway, authorities said. The teen was reportedly lured to an abandoned house in Liberty City, where she allegedly faced the harrowing ordeal.
The suspects, Robert DeArmas and Livingstone Martin, both 35, were arrested on Saturday following the incident. According to NBC Miami, the victim had a dispute with her mother and left home on Thursday. After hitching a ride to the house near Northwest 18th Avenue and 43rd Street, she was offered drugs and then sexually assaulted. Police were alerted after she managed to escape when someone knocked on the door.
The victim's mother, speaking with NBC Miami, expressed her anguish. "As a mother, I feel terrible. It was a shock," she said. Her daughter, who is now on the run again, is reportedly suffering from trauma due to the assault. The mother is pleading for her daughter's return, hoping to place the teenager in a facility for the support she requires.
Both DeArmas and Martin appeared before a judge on Sunday and remain in custody with no bond set. While only two attackers are currently identified and jailed, a report from Local 10 News notes that there were three men involved in the alleged rape. The third suspect remains at large. Two women, found at the crime scene are said to have been unaware of the teenager's presence in the house during the time of the assault.
Further information about the ongoing investigation into the third suspect has not yet been disclosed. The community is left reeling from the event, and a call to action has been issued for any individuals with knowledge of the crime to come forward. Support for rape victims in Miami is available by calling 305-585-7273 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
