A 27-year-old Port Huron, Michigan man is facing felony kidnapping and child solicitation charges after Kosciusko County investigators tracked his cellphone across two states and found him with a missing child inside a Kalamazoo hotel room. Austin Birtel was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on a $70,500 bond following the discovery, which capped a search that began when the child vanished from home in the early morning hours.
Cellphone Trail Led From Roann to a Kalamazoo Hotel Room
According to WNDU, Birtel is charged with child solicitation and kidnapping. 1073wrsw.com reports the child solicitation count is a level 4 felony and the kidnapping count is a level 5 felony. Investigators say they traced Birtel’s cellphone to a hotel in Kalamazoo, where police ultimately found him with the child, per the same WNDU report.
An individual reported that the minor left the residence around 1 a.m. on September 13, 2026, and had not returned by 3 a.m., according to InkFreeNews. In tracking the phone, officers determined Birtel had traveled from a residence in Roann to the minor’s residence in Kosciusko County before stopping at a hotel in South Bend, the outlet reported, with the trail eventually continuing to the Kalamazoo hotel where he was found with the child.
Kalamazoo Police and Michigan State Police Assisted in the Search
The Kalamazoo Police Department and the Michigan State Police assisted Kosciusko County detectives in locating Birtel and the minor inside the hotel, per the InkFreeNews account. That report also states the child indicated she and Birtel had plans to travel around the United States together, and separately told police they and Birtel planned to have sexual intercourse, according to WNDU.
Officers reviewed messages on an iPad between Birtel and the minor and also located a screenshot of two bus tickets from South Bend to Cleveland, Ohio, the InkFreeNews report states. Greyhound video indicated only one ticket was scanned and showed an unknown male used Birtel’s ticket to ride the bus, according to the same account. The child told police they did not want to get Birtel in trouble, WNDU reported.
Court Appearance Set for Thursday
Birtel was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on the $70,500 bond following his arrest. He was due in court on Thursday, October 15, 2026, according to ABC57. No further details on the proceeding were available.
