A man accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old girl in Arizona was out on bail for a separate alleged abduction of two young girls in South Carolina.
Timothy Schultheis, 23, was arrested on 30 March for the alleged abduction of Betty Taylor, who vanished from Graham County, Arizona, ten days earlier after she left for a walk.
Mr Schultheis allegedly transported Betty approximately 2,000 miles away to his apartment on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina before the FBI tracked him down and found them together.
It has since been revealed that the suspect was previously arrested in 2020 for allegedly kidnapping two young girls from South Carolina ages 10 and 12, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
He was charged with allegedly sexually assaulting one of the victims in that case.
A judge ordered Mr Schultheis to wear an ankle monitor before allowing him out on bail.
“As a condition of his bond, Schultheis was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet,” the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement after Betty was found safe. “Schultheis’ electronic monitor was on his ankle at the time of this morning’s arrest.”
Betty’s family told 12 News that it was not unusual for her to go on walks, saying she is adventurous and nature-loving. Her family grew concerned when she did not return from her walk for seven hours and alerted authorities that she was missing.
Betty moved from Kansas last summer to live with her father in Arizona. Her mother, Bonnie Jones, travelled from Kansas to Arizona to join the search for her daughter, and told ABC 15 that she loved living with her family but was not happy at her new school.
"She hated school so much that she was getting physically sick because going to school stressed her out so much," Ms Jones said.
The girl's mother claimed Betty had been connecting with strangers via social media in an attempt to meet new people.
“And she had promised over and over again that she would get rid of them, and I checked her most recent Facebook, and she has her friends hidden, except for the mutual friends," her mother said.
Hundreds of volunteers joined the search effort for Betty, in which police used 4-wheelers, tracking dogs, horses, drones and a helicopter.
Mr Schultheis is awaiting extradition to Arizona, according to the Graham County Sheriff's Office.
