New details continue to emerge in the case of a 14-year-old Tennessee girl who was taken over 700 miles from her home, reportedly to get away from her adoptive father, accused of sexually assaulting her.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, authorities arrested 31-year-old Bryan David Rogers (pictured left), for sexual exploitation and child abduction after he allegedly picked up a Madisonville girl and took her back to a Madison, Wisconsin, home he shared with his mother.
Prior to picking her up, Rogers reportedly convinced the girl to record herself having sex with her father after she told him the man had been abusing her. He then reportedly claimed he wanted the video to use as evidence against the man, yet police say he never turned the video over to authorities.
According to CBS 8, Rogers met the girl through an online gaming site called “Roblox,” and also communicated with her through an encrypted messaging app, as well as Facebook. After he gained her trust, he reportedly drove over 700 miles to pick her up. While driving her back to his home, he avoided gas stations with surveillance cameras and tollways, and smashed the girl’s cellphone so it couldn’t be traced, the arrest affidavit read.
At some point, the girl made contact with the FBI in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s unclear what she said to them but a different FBI tip, coupled with the investigative work, eventually led authorities to her location.
When investigators arrived to Rogers’ home, he initially denied meeting the teen girl in person, and claimed he had no idea where she was. After meeting with Rogers’ mother, they informed they pair they were there to make an “exigent circumstances search.” Investigators gained access to the home and found the girl hiding inside a closet in the basement.
Rogers told the investigators he never turned over the sexually explicit video because he didn’t think it would be admissible in court.
The Madison, Wisconsin, sheriff made a statement shortly after Rogers’ arrest, and mentioned Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs, who disappeared for over 30 days while being held captive by a suspected killer. Jayme eventually escaped the captor’s home and ran to freedom.
“As much as Wisconsin celebrated Jaymee Kloss, we’re celebrating this case as well, and as more information comes out, as a community, as a state, we’ll celebrate that again, we have a save. And we’ll be able to reunite this young girl with her family in Tennessee, which is really our goal.”
Meanwhile, the teen’s adoptive father, 41-year-old Randall Pruitt (pictured right), was arrested Thursday and charged with rape after authorities said they found “explicit photos and a video” on the teen girl’s online footprints. His first court hearing is scheduled for February 5.
According to the arrest affidavit, Monroe County investigators obtained a search warrant for the girl’s email and online records. They found multiple photos and a video of Pruitt having sex with the girl, which had been sent to Rogers.
Since the girl is the alleged victim of a sexual assault, CrimeOnline is withholding her name.
During a press conference last week, Monroe County Sheriff, Tommy Jones, said the girl likely wanted to get away from a “bad home life.”
The teen disappeared from her Madisonville home on January 13. Investigators located her the same day Pruitt was arrested. Authorities took a flight to Wisconsin on Friday and brought the girl back to Tennessee. She’s said to be safe and healthy, but she is not with family at this time.
“She is safe, she is in custody so that’s a very good ending to this,” Jones said. “She’s doing fine.”
Prior to finding her, police said one the girl’s two cellphones pinged in Corbin, Kentucky. Corbin is around 130 miles from Madisonville.
The girl is the eldest of four children. Pruitt indicated last week that she was homeschooled, while the other three children attended public school. The family recently moved to Madisonville from Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Due to the integrity of the investigation, authorities can only provide limited information at this time.
“I’m having to be vague in all my statements because this is still an ongoing investigation,” Jones said “There’s the possibility of multiple other charges coming forward with multiple people involved. And truthfully that’s about all we can say at this time.”
Pruitt, who appeared on several news outlets pleading for the girl’s safe return, remains at the Monroe County jail without bail.
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Bryan Rogers, Randall Pruitt/Police Handout]
