Authorities found a missing 15-year-old girl from Pennsylvania and recovered from the home of a 32-year-old North Carolina man, who has been charged with rape, kidnapping, and other crimes.
The teenager, who was reported missing nearly a year ago, was found alive on Monday while authorities in High Point were following up on information that the girl may have been living at the suspect's residence.
Missing Teenage Girl Recovered Alive
After an official investigation where authorities talked with the victim and executed a search warrant at the suspect's home, they found child sexual abuse materials. This resulted in them arresting the man, identified as Joseph A. Rossomando.
The North Carolina man was then booked at the Guilford County Jail on charges of statutory sex offense with a child under the age of 15, statutory rape of a child under the age of 15, felony human trafficking of a child victim, felony sexual servitude of a child victim, and many others, according to USA Today.
Court documents showed that the teenage girl was originally reported missing from Reading, Pennsylvania, in June last year. It is currently unclear whether the victim was related to the suspect in any way.
A High Point Police Department spokesperson said that information regarding the case for the public is currently limited because of the nature of the suspect's crimes and the victim being a minor.
The suspect's neighbors said that they were surprised to find out about Rossomando's situation because it happened so close to their own homes. One nearby resident said the case made them want to get to know their neighbors a little bit more, so they can protect each other and keep their families safe, the Independent reported.
Boy Found After Disappearance 7 Years Ago
A similar incident involves a now 14-year-old boy who was allegedly taken by his mother seven years ago despite not having custody of her son. The suspect reportedly took the child from Atlanta before he was found in Colorado last month.
The recovery of the boy was due to his mother being arrested over an unrelated incident in suburban Denver. Authorities said they took the suspect, 40-year-old Rabia Khalid, into custody on Feb. 23, 2025.
The development came after sheriff's deputies were asked to investigate a suspected burglary at a vacant home that was for sale. When they arrived at the scene, the deputies discovered two kids inside a vehicle outside the property as well as a man and a woman coming out of the home.
The woman was later determined to be Khalid, and officials discovered that she had an active warrant related to the 2017 disappearance of Abdul Aziz Khan. This particular case was also featured on Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries," as per The Guardian.
