Florida Police Officer Finds Missing 13-Year-Old Girl In Motel With Man She Met Online

A 13-year-old girl, who went missing Thursday after school, was rescued by a Florida deputy from a motel room, where she was with a 22-year-old man she met online.

The girl was reported missing by her grandmother around 6.15 p.m. ET after she failed to come home from school. The girl reportedly did not attend her basketball game after school either, ABC-affiliated WFTV reported.

Deputy Royce James of Volusia Sheriff’s Office spoke to a friend of the missing girl, who revealed the teen had plans to meet a man from Orlando after school.

According to the sheriff's office, her friend said she believed the man's name started with a T, possibly Tyler. The teen might have waited for the man at Dollar General in Oak Hill, the friend said, WFTV reported.

Surveillance cameras at the store captured the teen, who told an employee there she was waiting for someone.

James then visited the motels in the area and showed the front desk clerks photos and details of the teen. At the third motel in Edgewater, about 60 miles northeast of Orlando, the deputy saw a guest had checked in under the name of Tyler Thompson, NY Daily News reported.

The body camera footage of the deputy shows him knocking on the motel door, following which a shirtless man answers the door. The room was dark and the deputy instructs him to sit on the couch. The girl then walks out of the room toward the deputy.

James, who identified himself, asks the girl whether she is alright. She says yes and returns to the bedroom. He asks Thompson his age to which he replies "22."

According to the sheriff's office, the girl asked Deputy James to stay with her when she was informed she would be taken for medical clearance and interview. She was taken back home after a visit to a local Department of Children and Families facility for evaluation.

Thompson has been charged with interference with child custody and traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a child.

He was released from the Volusia County Branch Jail on Friday night after posting $15,000 bail.