Texan charged with abducting Harvard 15-year-old
A six-hour hunt led to the capture of a Texas man accused of using social media to prey on a 15-year-old Harvard area girl who disappeared with him on Thanksgiving.
Francisco Tulul, 19, of Houston, is charged with child abduction, the McHenry County sheriff's office reported Saturday.
The girl and Tulul began interacting through social media and he drove from Texas to see her, relatives told police after reporting her missing at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
The girl had left work at about 1 p.m. to meet Tulul, whom she called "Frankie," at the Big Foot Inn restaurant in Harvard, authorities said.
Police said Tulul intended to bring the 15-year-old to Houston. A statewide alert was sent out and Illinois State Police officers found him with the girl at about 7:20 p.m. at a rest stop in Edwardsville.
Bond was set at $20,000.