COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police say a man trapped a 14-year-old girl in a Cobb County hotel room after meeting her on an app meant for teenagers.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell learned how the girl’s father was able to track her down and bring police to rescue her after she disappeared.
Police said 18-year-old Jaevaughn Warren met the victim on the Wizz App, which is promoted as a safe space for meeting new friends.
But police told Newell Warren used it to target the girl after communicating with her on it.
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“It can be used to take advantage of young teenagers,” Sgt. Aaron Wilson, Cobb County Police Department, told Channel 2 Action News.
CCPD said Warren ordered the victim an Uber ride to take her to the Budgetell Inn and Suites last week.
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But when the victim arrived, police say Warren took the girl’s phone, then barricaded her inside the room by putting a dresser in front of the door.
Police said he then tried to make her do drugs.
After the girl disappeared, her father found out where she was by tracking her phone and flagging down police officers as he got there.
“Thankfully, the father had the child’s location so they knew where they were,” Wilson said. “So, it wasn’t hard for officers to determine which room they were in.”
In order to create a Wizz app account, you have to be 16 or older.
The app says it places users into strict age groups with the maximum difference of age being one year.
But police told Channel 2 Action News they want to know how safe the app really is.
“I’m still curious to know how foolproof it really is,” Wilson said, telling parents that when it comes to their children: “Always know what apps they’re downloading, who they’re speaking to, what methods they’re speaking to them through.”
Wizz App released the following statement:
We were made aware of this case through media outreach and are actively working to gather the full details. We take any allegation involving harm to a minor with the utmost seriousness.
The safety of young people on Wizz is something we care about deeply. We understand the concern this report raises, and we share it. Protecting minors from harm is a responsibility we do not take lightly. We have proactively reached out to the relevant organizations and stand ready to cooperate fully with any investigation.
Over the last several months, Wizz has implemented an ID verification process and updated onboarding requirements for all users, steps taken as part of our continued investment in platform safety. We have also continued to strengthen proactive moderation, industry partnerships including the Tech Coalition, and safety tools designed to detect and remove bad actors. We are continuing to evaluate and build on these measures as part of our ongoing safety commitments.
We will not comment further on the specific allegations so as not to interfere with any law enforcement process. What we can say is that Wizz App has significant platform developments underway that will further strengthen the safety experience for our users. We look forward to sharing more in the coming months and remain dedicated to the well-being of every person on our platform.
— Wizz App spokesperson
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