Arizona girl found in South Carolina
PHOENIX (KYMA, KECY/CNN) - A 12-year-old girl has been found in South Carolina after being declared missing for a week.
The authorities are currently in the process of bringing Betty Taylor Jones home to be reunited with her mother, Bonnie.
"They were like, 'Hey we've got some good news for you. We'll meet you down here in the lobby. We found Betty.' And I'm like, 'Yes! I knew it!'" Betty Taylor's mother said after she heard the news of her daughter's whereabouts. However, she was stunned with where her daughter was found.
According to South Carolina officials, they found Jones in the company of 23-year-old Timothy Schultheis in his apartment. The two met online, and Schultheis took Jones while she was on a walk on March 20.
Right now, Schultheis has been arrested. However, this is one of many crimes Schultheis has committed.
According to ABC15, Schultheis has a history of arrests involving sexual misconduct with minors and was previously out on bail after being arrested in 2020, where he was accused of kidnapping two sisters, both in the same age group as Jones, but was said to have sexually assaulted the eldest sibling, a 12-year-old.
"You cannot be careful enough. You can't be safe enough. If you're in your kid's business and it gets on their nerves, good. You're doing it right," Jones's mother said in regards to the details the authorities shared.
After the weeklong nightmare, the Jones family will reunite and try to heal their daughter, and the family is thankful for prayer, law enforcement, and the community for their active participation in bringing Jones home.
