A missing Tennessee girl, 14, was left in the woods by a man she met online, sheriff says

HAHNVILLE, La. (AP) — A missing 14-year-old Tennessee girl has been found safe in the Louisiana woods, where authorities say she was left by a man who had picked her up from her home after the two met online.

Alexander Materne, 28, drove the girl to his home in St. Rose, Louisiana, on Dec. 23 and had sex, after which the girl disclosed her age, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Materne then brought the girl to a secluded, wooded area in Tangipahoa Parish and left her there with a tent, food and water, authorities said. He then went to Jennings, Louisiana, to celebrate Christmas with his family, officials said.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker said the two had met on a gaming platform and had made a plan for Materne to drive to her home in Tennessee.

Materne faces numerous charges, including aggravated kidnapping of a child and felony counts of human trafficking and carnal knowledge. Jail records do not show if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The break in the case, Sticker said, came when the girl’s parents did their own investigation and tracked Materne to Jennings, Louisiana, where his family lived, about 160 miles (257 kilometers) west of Materne’s home in St. Rose.

“They were the key to all of this,” Sticker said. “I’m telling you if they want a job, I’ll hire both of these parents as investigators.”

Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes said his office received a call Christmas Eve about Materne possibly having the girl in Jennings, but when officers checked at the family home, they were told he no longer lived there. The next day, police were notified that Materne had showed up at the family home to celebrate Christmas and he agreed to an interview with officers.

Authorities said Materne then took detectives to the girl’s location in the woods, about 42 miles (68 kilometers) from his home. She had been there for about two days.

“You can’t make this stuff up. It’s a Christmas miracle that she was found safe. This thing could’ve ended badly,” Sticker said.

The girl was transported to a hospital for a check-up and later returned to her family, investigators said.