A girl reported missing from Middletown, Connecticut, on April 9 was found more than two weeks later at a home in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, authorities say. The 51-year-old Ocean Isle Beach resident, identified in court records as Justin Newman, was arrested on charges that include first-degree kidnapping and multiple counts of statutory rape. Investigators described the juvenile as under 15. She was taken into protective custody, and officials say she was unharmed.
According to the Charlotte Observer, Middletown detectives traced the girl’s movements after determining Newman had ordered a rideshare that took her to a train station, where she boarded a train headed to North Carolina. Once Middletown police alerted the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, deputies moved in and located the juvenile at a residence on Brigadier Avenue SW in Ocean Isle Beach.
WECT reports that prosecutors say Newman was arrested on April 27 and booked into the Brunswick County Detention Center. Court filings cited by the station show he faces first-degree kidnapping and statutory rape charges, and an arrest warrant alleges he had intercourse with the child. Prosecutors also told WECT that Newman met the juvenile months earlier on the Skout app and that he waived his right to counsel during his first court appearance. He is being held without bond, and investigators say they expect additional charges may follow.
How investigators say she traveled
Authorities say the journey started in Middletown, where the girl took a local rideshare to a train station and then boarded a train bound for North Carolina, according to WBTV. From there, she made her way to Brunswick County, where deputies eventually found her at the Ocean Isle Beach home. Investigators have not publicly detailed how the girl and Newman first connected beyond what prosecutors described in court, and they have declined to release further specifics about the trip.
Legal fallout and what's next
Newman is charged in Brunswick County, and online court records referenced by WECT list first-degree kidnapping and multiple counts of statutory rape involving a child between 12 and 15. It remains unclear whether Connecticut authorities will pursue their own set of charges tied to Middletown’s missing-person case. Officials in both states say the interagency investigation is still active and that further charges could be filed as detectives collect more evidence.
What Middletown officials said
In an April 28 news release described by local outlets in Connecticut, Middletown police said that after the girl was reported missing on April 9, they sent a location and description to Brunswick County deputies, according to CT Insider. CT Insider also notes that the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office posted about Newman’s arrest on Facebook and that Middletown police did not immediately respond to follow-up requests for comment.
Law enforcement in both states say the juvenile remains in protective custody while the probe continues, and they have asked anyone with information to contact the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office. Local reporting says Newman was scheduled for another court appearance in mid-May and remains jailed while the case moves forward, per WWAY.
