Home | News | U.S. Headlines | Megan Williams: Missing girl, 12, found in the car of Dana Broberg, 31, who she met online

Megan Williams: Missing girl, 12, found in the car of Dana Broberg, 31, who she met online

By Lena Sullivan / Dailymail 06/26/2012 05:51:00

Read More: Megan Williams , Dana Broberg

Font size:

Caught: Megan Williams (left), 12, was found unharmed in the car of 31-year-old Dana Broberg (right) 600 miles from her home after they met online

A 12-year-old girl who was reported missing has been found unharmed in the car of a 31-year-old man she met online.

Megan Williams was found in Dana Broberg's car in Walton County in north Florida - nearly 600 miles from her home in Margate, Florida.

Officials believe the man was taking the girl back to his home in San Antonio, Texas.

Megan's parents raised the alarm on Sunday morning after they returned home Saturday night and found the girl missing from the house.

It came after her mother, who checks her daughter's phone and email with her daily, came across messages from a number she did not recognize.

Melissa Ford told NBC Miami: 'Clearly he was intending on meeting her and tried as hard as possible to find out her address and phone number. He pressured her a lot and gave her a lot of attention.'

After her family reported her missing, an Amber Alert was issued for the girl.

Escape: Megan was found in Broberg's car in Walton County, Florida, 600 miles from her Margate home. Police believe they were driving to San Antonio

Found: Officers tracked phone signals and found them on Interstate 10

Authorities in Walton County tracked the car using phone signals and stopped Broberg as he entered the county on Interstate 10.

Megan's mother added: 'I'm just so relieved and so grateful to everyone for bringing her home.'

She said she believed the man pretended he was a teenager when he was speaking to her daughter online.

After discussing the emails with Megan, the concerned mother printed them out.

She warned other parents: 'If you see any unusual phone numbers or emails, one thing I would do, and what saved my daughter's life, print out the emails. Get those phone numbers. Don't disregard it.'

Fears: Megan's mother, Melissa Ford, went through her daughter's phone and email with her daily and discovered the messages, so proved vital to police

Margate Police agreed Ford's actions were crucial to helping track down Broberg and her 12-year-old daughter.

'She did all the right things,' spokesman Efrain Suarez told NBC. 'It ultimately led to her daughter's recovery.'

Megan has yet to return home from Walton County but her mother assured her in the interview that she was not in trouble.

Broberg is being held by police and is expected to face kidnapping and interfering with custody charges.

Police believe he may have driven all the way from Texas to collect the girl but the incident is still under investigation.

Comments (0 posted)

total: | displaying:

Post your comment

Most Popular Today
Most Commented

Penn State cheerleader Paige Raque, center right, fell 39 feet from an off-campus apartment window near Penn State over the weekend, left, and remains in critical conditio

Penn State Sophomore Paige Raque fights for life after falling five floors from Calder Commons

A Penn State cheerleader is fighting for her life after falling five stories from a window at an off-campus apartment building over the weekend. Sophomore Paige ... Full story