CHINA GROVE, N.C. — Two juvenile girls were found safe in Georgia and a 21-year-old man was arrested following an abduction investigation involving the China Grove Police Department and Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation led authorities more than 300 miles south into Bulloch County, Georgia, where deputies intercepted a vehicle believed to be connected to the reported kidnapping.
According to the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were notified by the Georgia State Patrol on Aug. 18 that a possible kidnapping suspect was traveling toward Bulloch County from North Carolina.
Authorities received the license plate number of the suspect vehicle. Bulloch County deputies and investigators used Flock Safety license plate reader cameras to locate the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on Highway 67 near Josh Deal Road.
All occupants of the vehicle were safely detained.
Bulloch County investigators contacted detectives with the China Grove Police Department and Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators learned that two girls, ages 11 and 15, had been reported kidnapped and that the driver, identified as 21-year-old Seth Tallmadge, was a suspect in the North Carolina investigation.
Tallmadge was arrested on a kidnapping warrant issued by the Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office and taken to the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office. He is expected to face an extradition hearing before being returned to North Carolina.
Both girls were safely recovered and later reunited with their parents.
Bulloch County Sheriff Noel Brown credited cooperation between agencies with bringing the investigation to a safe conclusion. The Georgia State Patrol, Yadkin County Sheriff’s Office and China Grove Police Department were among the agencies involved.
Authorities have not publicly released details explaining where the girls were allegedly abducted, the circumstances leading to the investigation or the specific connection to China Grove.
The investigation remains ongoing, and additional information is expected as North Carolina authorities release further details.
