Holly MatkinJackson County, FL – A kidnapped teenage girl was found bound and beaten beneath a tree in Jackson County on Saturday morning, according to police.
Deputies were called to the scene of a “possible kidnapping/abduction” at approximately 6:15 a.m. on Nov. 5, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) said in a press release on Sunday.
They arrived to find a teenage female who had her hands bound behind her back.
Investigators determined that the victim had been “picked up” by 22-year-old Colby Jerome Jordan in Houston County, Alabama, the night prior, The Birmingham News reported.
The JCSO said Jordan and the girl “met up” with 19-year-old Molly Michele Jarrett and another female later in the night.
Investigators said the victim was taken to an abandoned building at approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday, where Jordan allegedly “beat her and bound her hands and feet.”
The teen was dumped under the tree a short while later and the suspects left the area, according to the JCSO.
A neighbor spotted the girl and contacted police, FOX News reported.
She was subsequently transported to a local hospital and is expected to recover.
Details regarding her condition were not immediately released.
It is unclear whether the victim knew Jarrett or Jordan prior to the alleged assault.
Both suspects were arrested in Houston County later on Saturday, The Birmingham News reported.
Jordan has been charged with false imprisonment, robbery, battery, and tampering with a victim, the JCSO said.
Jarrett has been charged with principal in the first degree to false imprisonment, principal in the first degree to robbery, principal in the first degree to battery, and principal in the first degree to tampering with a victim.
Jackson County Sheriff Donald Edenfield said he is “proud of his deputies for their quick work catching these suspects and bringing them to justice.”
Sheriff Edenfield said he is also grateful for the Houston County Sheriff’s Office’s assistance with the case.
