SILER CITY, N.C. — A report of a runaway juvenile has led to the arrest of Edwin Silva-Badillo, 22, of Carrboro, on multiple felony charges, including kidnapping and human trafficking, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.
Deputies launched an investigation on April 12 after a concerned mother reported her child missing. Authorities soon discovered that the juvenile had been communicating with an unknown adult male via social media.
Further examination of the child’s phone revealed that the individual was Silva-Badillo, who had allegedly made three separate trips to Siler City to pick up the juvenile and transport her back to his Carrboro apartment.
Working alongside the Carrboro Police Department, which is conducting a parallel investigation, authorities executed a search warrant at Silva-Badillo’s residence. He was arrested on Wednesday, the sheriff’s office confirmed.
Silva-Badillo now faces three counts of felony kidnapping and three counts of felony human trafficking of a child victim. He is being held without bond at the Chatham County Detention Center.
His first court appearance was scheduled for Thursday in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not ruled out additional charges.
