Two North Carolina girls abducted in separate towns found safe in Georgia after multistate search, Sheriff’s Office says
By Michael Pardee
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YADKIN COUNTY, N.C. (WXII) — Two children who authorities said were abducted in separate North Carolina communities have been found safe in Georgia, and a 21-year-old South Carolina man is facing extradition back to North Carolina.
The Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified Aug. 18 about the abduction of a 15-year-old girl from the Rockford community.
Driver Arrested Deputies and detectives began investigating and identified a suspect vehicle with help from a neighbor. Investigators later identified the suspect as Seth Zachary Tallmadge, 21, of South Carolina.
China Grove Abduction Authorities then learned Tallmadge was also suspected in the simultaneous abduction of an 11-year-old girl from China Grove.
According to the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, deputies there received information from the Georgia State Patrol that a possible kidnapping suspect was headed toward Bulloch County from North Carolina.
Flock Camera Locates Vehicle Deputies were given the tag number associated with the suspect vehicle and used the Flock Safety camera system to locate the vehicle and determine its direction of travel.
Bulloch County deputies and investigators then stopped the vehicle on Highway 67 near Josh Deal Road.
Authorities said all occupants were safely detained while investigators contacted the Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office and China Grove Police Department.
Investigators confirmed that the two girls, ages 11 and 15, had been reported kidnapped and that Tallmadge was the suspect in both cases.
Tallmadge was eventually located and taken into custody in Bulloch County, Georgia, by the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol. He was arrested on a kidnapping warrant issued in Yadkin County.
Both children were safely reunited with their families.
Tallmadge is now facing extradition back to North Carolina and is expected to face charges related to the abduction investigations in Yadkin County, as well as charges in Rowan County. He will appear at a hearing in Bulloch County to determine his return to North Carolina.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
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