A harrowing multi-state investigation ended Thursday night when authorities discovered a 13-year-old girl from Louisiana hidden inside a sheet-covered box in the basement of a home in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood.
According to court documents and law-enforcement sources, the girl had been reported missing from Baker, Louisiana around Oct. 20. She met 26-year-old Ki‑Shawn Crumity via the social-media platform Snapchat, where he allegedly told her he could arrange for her to be adopted by a trusted adult.
Instead, investigators say, she travelled by bus from Louisiana to Georgia and then on to Pittsburgh. In the basement of the home, Crumity allegedly supplied her with alcohol and marijuana edibles, and sexually assaulted her repeatedly over the course of about a week. He also shared a bed in the basement with the girl and an unidentified woman.
Law-enforcement agencies executed a warrant and stormed the home, where they found the girl in the box underneath a sheet. She was taken to hospital; according to reports, she told investigators the hospital “felt like the safest place I ever felt.”
Crumity has been arrested and charged with human trafficking of a minor, sexual assault, corruption of a minor, unlawful contact with a minor, and other counts. He is being held without bail.
Additionally, 62-year-old Ronald Smith was arrested in Georgia and charged with simple kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile for his alleged role in transporting the girl. Authorities say more arrests are expected.
In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said: “This child … was groomed, exploited and then sexually abused by strangers who found her online. This is just one example of the dangers of social media and of human trafficking.”
What to know:
- he girl had been missing for roughly two weeks.
- Police traced her movement across multiple jurisdictions.
- The Pittsburgh-based burglary involved collaboration among the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, Louisiana State Police, and Pittsburgh’s Special Victims Unit.
- The victim’s identity is being withheld due to her minor status and ongoing investigation.
Next steps: Investigators say the case remains active. Additional suspects may be charged. Police are reviewing the social-media contact history and transportation arrangements that allowed the girl’s cross-country journey. Officials are urging families to monitor children’s online activity and to teach them the dangers of grooming and trafficking.
This case is a stark reminder of the risks posed by online solicitation and human trafficking. The girl’s rescue was the result of intensive coordination among jurisdictions and agencies — but the trauma she endured will likely require long-term support and care. Families and communities are being urged to remain vigilant.
