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Kyle Lawrence, 43, of Buffalo, New York, is facing federal charges after allegedly snatching a 16-year-old girl from Colerain Township, Ohio. The feds indicted Lawrence this week, capping a February investigation triggered by the teen’s disappearance. He’s accused of using Snapchat to groom the girl, then driving to the Cincinnati area to meet her – all while under the FBI’s watchful eye.
Colerain Township police first flagged Lawrence after spotting a black Jeep Grand Cherokee with New York plates picking up the girl in January. Surveillance tied the Jeep to Lawrence, and hotel receipts confirmed they shared a room in Cincinnati on January 31st. Things got wild when a citizen group confronted Lawrence in Canada, accusing him of targeting another underage girl. The FBI already had reports of Lawrence’s predatory online behavior.
A deep dive by the FBI revealed two tips submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) pinpointed Lawrence’s Snapchat account as a hub for child exploitation material. A February 26th raid on his Buffalo home turned up a cache of CSAM on electronic devices. Lawrence confessed to chatting with the Ohio teen on Snapchat and making two trips to Cincinnati, using Snapchat’s location services to track her.
As of today, the missing Ohio teenager remains unaccounted for, and the search is ongoing. Lawrence is being held in federal custody in Cincinnati. He’s facing serious federal time for these crimes, though sentencing guidelines haven’t been released. The charges suggest a lengthy prison stay is likely.