Georgia Man Found with Missing 14-Year-Old at Gwinnett Motel

A Gwinnett County man has been arrested and charged after he was found with a missing 14-year-old girl from Michigan at a Norcross-area motel.

Police said Victor Alfonso Martinez, 28, had developed a relationship via the Internet with the teen, who was reported missing on Sunday, Aug. 23, in Marshall, Mich.

They agreed to meet in Michigan and then travelled to Georgia, according to a Gwinnett Police news release.

WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Mich., identified the missing girl as Hannah Amaro. The TV station said the two met online and communicated on Skype and social media. Marshall Police said the teen kept the relationship secret, except for one friend.

Martinez is being held without bond in the Gwinnett County jail. He is charged with aggravated child molestation and interstate interference with custody, both felonies. More charges are likely in Georgia and Michigan.

Gwinnett Police said it was contacted around 3 p.m. Tuesday by the Michigan State Police and the FBI about the missing girl.

Once Martinez and his cell phone number were identified, the cell-phone provider said the phone was pinging from the Norcross motel. Police did not reveal the name of the motel. Martinez did not register using his real name.

Authorities searched door-to-door at the motel and eventually found the man and teen. The teen was released to the Department of Family and Children’s Services, police said.

The teen’s parents were expected to travel to Georgia to take custody of the girl.

“It was a nightmare. It was a nightmare not knowing if she was OK, not knowing if she was safe, or if she was being forced. It was a nightmare,” the teen’s mother Amy Ellis told WOOD-TV.

(Photo: Victor Alfonso Martinez. Gwinnett County Jail mugshot)