A Michigan man is facing serious charges after a 14-year-old girl was discovered wandering alone at dawn over the weekend in Northville Township.
According to local news reports from The Detroit News, Local 4, and WWMT, police arrested 22-year-old Charles Willis after receiving a report around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 27, of a young girl walking by herself in the early morning hours.
Authorities quickly discovered the girl was from a city two hours away—and had spent the previous day inside Willis’ home.
Investigators say Willis contacted the teen via Snapchat on April 25, arranged and paid for an Uber to bring her to his residence, and upon arrival, allegedly confined her to his basement for over 24 hours.
“She was very brave in that she was able to tell us what happened to her,” said Northville Township Police Lieutenant Patrick Reinke, according to WWMT.
Online court records show Willis now faces multiple charges, including:
Six counts of criminal s–ual conduct,
One count of kidnapping,
One count of enticing a minor,
One count of child s–ually abusive commercial activity.
His plea status remains unclear, and his attorney has not responded to requests for comment.
Authorities suspect there may be additional victims and are urging anyone with information to contact Northville Township’s Detective Bureau at 248-349-9400, their local police department, or seek help from a mental health professional.
Resources for Help:
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 or visit www.childhelp.org. Assistance is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Victims of s–ual abuse can also text “STRENGTH” to 741-741 to reach a trained crisis counselor through the Crisis Text Line.