Federal Investigators Find Missing Georgia Teen With Autism At Suspect's Home In New York
The FBI found a missing Georgia teenager on Nov. 2 at a house in New York, ending a frantic search for the autistic 16-year-old who vanished from home on Oct. 27.
According to CBS New York, investigators discovered Jahon Fuller hiding in a closet at an upscale home in suburban Westchester County home occupied by Mark Valente. They believe Valente befriended Jahon on a video gaming platform and lured him 900 miles north.
Valente is in police custody in New York but faces extradition to Georgia on a preliminary charge for interstate interference with custody.
Jahon’s father woke up at about 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 27 and discovered that his son was missing from their Douglas County home, local Atlanta station WAGA reported. At that time, Jahon was believed to have run away from home while the family slept.
Later that day, the family received a perplexing text supposedly from Jahon.
"'I'm going West to get easier work,” the message stated, according to the teenager’s mother Lashawnda Collins. She noted that her son had never held a job.
Collins said her son has the cognitive abilities of a 10-year-old child, according to CBS New York. Valente communicated with Jahon through private messaging on the PlayStation platform and convinced her son his parents didn’t want him.
“Saying that I don’t love him and I would sell him for $2. That right there, that’s evil,” Collins said. “He was trying to groom my child for something. Maybe to lure other kids.”
Investigators say that Valente drove to Georgia to pick up Jahon and take him to New York. Valente allegedly threw away Jahon’s phone and replaced it with a new one. Jahon said he played video games and bought Asian food when he was with Valente. The teen was not physically injured, investigators said.
