A 15-year-old girl who was missing for a year was found alive nearly 500 miles from home – with a 32-year-old man police have charged with kidnapping and raping her.
The teen, who was reported missing from Reading, Pennsylvania, a year ago, was found Monday in High Point, North Carolina, in the home of Joseph A. Rossomando, police said.
Detectives received a tip that the teen was in the home and found her with Rossomando, who police say had child sexual abuse materials.
“During the investigation, detectives spoke to the victim and executed a search warrant at the home, where they seized several electronic devices,” police said.
Rossomando was charged with seven counts of statutory sex offense with a child less than 15 and seven counts of statutory rape of a child less than 15.
He was also slapped with felony charges for human trafficking of a child victim, sexual servitude of a child victim, second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, statutory rape, first-degree kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to police.
Neighbors of Rossmando told WXII they were shocked to hear the reports of what happened so close to home.
"It makes you want to get to know your neighbors a little better just to protect each other and be on the lookout for stuff like that," one neighbor said.
"It’s shocking, it’s disturbing. Again, it just makes you want to know more about what's going on around you," they added.
Rossmando is being held at the Guilford County Jail with no bond, police said.
