Registered sex offender charged in Georgia teen's disappearance
Zachary Despain and Natasha Brown (Illinois State Police/GBI)
SPRINGFIELD, Illi. - Officers have arrested an Illinois man in connection with the disappearance of a Georgia teenager, accusing him of multiple charges including kidnapping.
Officials say 13-year-old Natasha Brown disappeared on July 6 from her home in the area of Violet Street in Cochran, Georgia.
Just before she went missing, Brown told her family she was going for a walk.
Saturday morning, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says they were contacted by law enforcement in Springfield, Illinois saying that Brown had been found in the city and is safe.
Over the weekend, the GBI charged 36-year-old Springfield resident Zachery M. Despain with multiple counts connected to Brown's disappearance including interference with custody, enticing a child for indecent purposes, trafficking of person for labor or sexual servitude, and kidnapping.
Zachary Despain will face extradition to Georgia. (Illinois State Police)
According to records from the Illinois State Police, Despain is a registered sex offender, stemming from when he was accused of aggravated criminal sex abuse of a 14-year-old victim in Peoria County, Illinois. Despain was 18 years old at the time.
Officials say the suspect is also facing multiple charges in Illinois and will be requested to be extradicted to Georgia to face charges here.
The investigation is ongoing.
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