A North Carolina man is behind bars today following a coordinated law enforcement effort to rescue a 12-year-old girl who vanished from her Osceola County home late last month. The incident, which spanned two Florida counties, ended with the arrest of 22-year-old Edar Fabricio Dejesus-Matheu after detectives tracked the child’s cell phone to a hotel parking lot.
The investigation began on January 31, 2026, when the girl’s parents contacted the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to report their daughter missing. According to investigators, the parents originally believed the girl was spending the night at a friend’s house. However, concern grew the following morning when she failed to answer phone calls or return text messages, prompting the family to seek police assistance.
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Using digital forensics, detectives pinpointed the girl’s phone signal at a hotel in neighboring Orange County. Deputies from both jurisdictions descended on the location, where they discovered the minor inside a vehicle with Dejesus-Matheu.
During on-site interviews, investigators learned that the pair had been communicating through social media for several months. Authorities say the meeting was planned in advance, with Dejesus-Matheu traveling from North Carolina to Central Florida specifically to pick up the child and transport her to the hotel.
The situation escalated as preliminary interviews conducted by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office uncovered evidence of lewd and lascivious molestation occurring within Orange County.
Consequently, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division took over that portion of the case. Dejesus-Matheu currently faces charges in Osceola County for traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual activity and the unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He was booked into the Orange County Jail on additional charges of lewd or lascivious molestation of a minor.
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Sheriff’s officials noted that the timing of the rescue coincided with Safer Internet Day, using the case as a stark reminder for parents to remain proactive in monitoring their children’s digital footprints. They emphasized that online vigilance is often the only line of defense against predators who use social platforms to groom young victims.
Dejesus-Matheu remains in custody in Orange County while he awaits further legal proceedings in Osceola. Local authorities are asking anyone with additional information regarding this suspect or similar incidents to contact the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office at (407) 348-2222.
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