OHIO — A man has admitted to federal sexual exploitation charges involving a once missing Ohio teenager.
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Kyle Lawrence, 43, of New York, pleaded guilty to transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity on Wednesday, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
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Lawrence was arrested in February after an investigation into a missing Ohio teenager revealed he was previously involved with her.
The office said this crime is punishable by at least 10 years in prison.
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On Feb. 16, the Colerain Township Police Department began investigating the circumstances surrounding a missing teenager, according to the charging documents.
Officers reviewed video surveillance from the teen’s home and discovered that she entered a black Jeep Grand Cherokee with New York license plates in January.
License plate readers and receipts confirmed that Lawrence allegedly rented the vehicle and that he and the teen stayed at a Cincinnati hotel together on Jan. 31.
It was also discovered that Lawrence was the subject of an FBI report in May 2024.
He was confronted by a citizen vigilante group while in Canada for allegedly traveling to Canada to have sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl.
Agents in Buffalo had previously been in contact with Lawrence in response to that report.
Lawrence told agents that he communicated with the teenager from Colerain on Snapchat and traveled to the Cincinnati area twice in January to meet up.
Investigators learned that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) got two cyber tip reports regarding Lawrence’s Snapchat account and child exploitation activity.
On Feb. 26, FBI agents in Buffalo executed a federal search warrant at Lawrence’s residence and seized several electronic devices, which contained child sexual abuse material.
As previously reported, officials were able to find the missing teen after locating a person of interest in her disappearance.
Agents with the FBI in Jacksonville found the teen and suspect at a Florida hotel in March.
It is unclear if this suspect is connected to Lawrence.
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