Kidnapped US teen reached out for help three times before being rescued from attacker in Tennessee

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office rescued the girl on June 5, 2020, at a truck stop in Knoxville, Tennessee, after she gained access to her phone for a third time and contacted her family, the US Attorney’s Office said. Authorities were able to pinpoint the phone’s location after the girl’s family called them. — Photo by SHVETS production: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pensive-female-browsing-smartphone-in-dark-room-with-colorful-lights-7194009/

A 15-year-old girl who was kidnapped, taken across state lines and sexually assaulted reached out for help twice in 2020, before finally reaching family, leading to her rescue. Her kidnapper was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison on Dec 4.

Wilmer Rivera-Hernandez, 33, of Honduras, pleaded guilty Aug 24 to taking the teenage girl June 2, 2020, from Houston across states and raping her in a motel in Little Rock, Arkansas, according to court records. Rivera-Hernandez’s defense attorney, Alejandro Macias, has not responded to request for comments.