Missing Texas girl, 15, is rescued from vacation rental home in Florida where she was held captive by armed felon after telling her parents she was going to church camp
A missing Texas girl has been rescued from a vacation rental home in Florida where she was held captive by an armed felon after telling her parents she was going to a church camp.
The girl, 15, had told her parents she was going to Florida for 'an all-inclusive church retreat' before boarding a plane to the Sunshine State, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Deputies contacted the camp she said she was attending and found that she'd never registered and had never been to the church. The teen's friends also later told cops she'd been chatting with an older man on social media apps.
The Dilley Police Department was first called by the teen's worried parents when they didn't hear from her for 'several days.' Texas cops pinged the teen's cell phone to 18541 Ohara Drive in Port Charlotte, Florida.
Vincent Joseph Robusto, 38, was arrested on Friday when Florida deputies found the teen at the vacation home he was renting.
Vincent Joseph Robusto, 38, was arrested on Friday when Florida deputies found the teen at the vacation home he was renting
Cops later searched the VRBO vacation rental home and found eight rounds of ammunition inside a magazine of a semi-automatic handgun
Dilley Police Chief Homer Delgado praised Florida agencies for helping bring the girl home
When they responded to the home, Charlotte County deputies saw Robusto dashing into a back room. He then refused to open the door or acknowledge the deputies.
The girl tried to open the door but was 'held back' by Robusto who demanded that she stay quiet, cops later learned.
Deputies looked up the registration for the owner of a Buick that was parked in the driveway and contacted them.
The owner of the Buick was then able to persuade Robusto into coming to the front door with the girl, and he was arrested.
Cops later searched the VRBO vacation rental home and found eight rounds of ammunition inside a magazine of a semi-automatic handgun.
It was not immediately clear who owns the property, or the relation of Robusto with the Buick's owner.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office for more information and additional comment.
The girl told police that she got off the plane in Fort Myers and was walking down a local street when she met Robusto who took her to the home, cops said.
Robusto and the teen ate dinner together before he allegedly gave her a vape pen with an unknown substance, she told cops.
He has been charged with false imprisonment of a person against their will, interference with custody of minor, weapons related charges, and giving drugs to a minor.
Robusto is being held at the Charlotte County Jail on a $325,000 bond.
The teen has since been reunited with her parents in Dilley, Texas.
Dilley Police Chief Homer Delgado praised Florida agencies for helping bring the girl home.
'Great job Officers, your commitment to the safety of our community knows no bounds!' he wrote.