14-year-old TN girl found safe in Louisiana woods after meeting 28-year-old man online

A missing 14-year-old girl was found safe in the Louisiana woods, where authorities said she was left by a man who had picked her up from her Tennessee home after the two met online.

Alexander Materne, 28, drove the girl to his home in St. Rose, Louisiana, on Dec. 23 and had sex, after which the girl disclosed her age, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Materne then brought the girl to a secluded, wooded area in Tangipahoa Parish and left her there with a tent, food and water, authorities said. He then went to Jennings, Louisiana, to celebrate Christmas with his family, officials said.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker said the two had met on a gaming platform and had made a plan for Materne to drive to her home in Tennessee.

Materne faces numerous charges, including aggravated kidnapping of a child and felony counts of human trafficking and carnal knowledge. 

The break in the case, Sticker said, came when the girl’s parents did their own investigation and tracked Materne to Jennings, Louisiana, about 160 miles west of Materne’s home.

Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes said his office received a call Christmas Eve about Materne possibly having the girl in Jennings. The next day, police were notified that Materne had showed up at the family home to celebrate Christmas and he agreed to an interview with officers.

Authorities said Materne then took detectives to the girl’s location in the woods. She had been there for about two days.

The girl was transported to a hospital for a check-up and later returned to her family.