Crime & Safety
Portsmouth Teen Met Suspect Online Before Disappearance
The suspect, 27-year-old Daniel Berger of Haskell, NJ, has been charged with transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal, sexual activity
By Sandy McGee
A New Jersey man was charged in federal court Thursday after a Portsmouth girl was reported missing Wednesday morning. The girl has since been found.
Kathryn Botelho, 13, was found in her suspect's apartment Thursday at 1 a.m. She has since been reunited with her family in New Jersey, said interim Portsmouth Police Chief Jeffrey Furtado at a press conference Thursday.
The suspect, 27-year-old Daniel Berger of Haskell, NJ, has been charged with transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal, sexual activity, a felony.
Furtado would not comment on the girl's medical condition, but said she was safely reunited with her family in New Jersey.
A second, unidentified male was also found in the Haskell apartment, but not charged.
The suspect, Berger, and the teen met online, police said. The exact website was not given by police, who continue the investigation.
"This was not a random act," Furtado said. "It is our understanding through our investigation that they two were known to each other and had prior communication."
Check back with Patch for more details on this developing story.
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