Accused Kidnapper Told Girl, 12, He Was 'Following His Heart'

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — A Florida man who was arrested for kidnapping a 12-year-old Collingswood girl over the weekend knew her age, and said he was “just following his heart,” according to online messages between the two.

Liam Heim, 21, of Gulfport, Fla. was arrested and charged over the weekend with one count of first-degree kidnapping and one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child after he was found in a Philadelphia hotel room with the girl he met through an online app, police said.

Heim admitted in a recorded interview with police that he sexually assaulted the girl, according to the probable cause statement provided by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office. The girl also told police that she was sexually assaulted by Heim after he met with her in Collingswood and took her to the hotel room. They were discovered in the room together after the girl was reported missing by her parents on Thursday, March 29.

She was last seen at school at Collingswood Middle School. The same day, she was also seen traveling with Heim at the Collingswood Patco Speedline station. They apparently met at Knight Park in Collingswood at about 1 p.m. The girl was reported missing at about 8:30 p.m. that night.

Her best friend confirmed that she was in school Thursday and said Heim and the girl met through Discord, an online voice and text app for gamers, according to the probable cause statement.

The chats show that Heim and the girl were involved in a dating relationship and traded pictures with each other. Heim told the girl he knew she was 12-years-old and what the consequences would be, but that he was just “following his heart.”

Other members told Heim it was inappropriate for him to talk to the girl in a sexual way, but he reportedly said he found it difficult to say no to her. They ate at a restaurant before taking an Uber to the hotel room, according to the Courier Post. He said he wished he had "said no to her requests and her affection," but went ahead with his actions, even though he knew it was wrong.

He has also been charged by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia with transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

He was arrested without incident when the Camden County Prosecutor's Office Special Victim's Unit, Philadelphia Police Airport Unit and the Collingswood Police department found he and the girl in a hotel on Bartram Avenue in Philadelphia on Friday, police said.

He made his first appearance in federal court Monday. A pretrial detention hearing was scheduled for Thursday.

The attached image of Liam Heim was previously provided by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office