Man accused of traveling from New York to meet Tulsa teen identified

06/17/2024 UPDATE: The suspect accused of traveling to Tulsa from New York to meet a 16-year-old girl for sexual purposes has been identified.

Court records in the Eastern District of New York identified the man as Dylan Peterson, who was arrested at LaGuardia Airport on June 13.

Peterson faces third-degree rape charges in New York, records show. Tulsa police said the victim was 15 years old, according to court records, authorities checked a birth certificate to confirm the victim's age was 16, according to court records.

Peterson was advised of his Miranda rights, but court records indicate he waived those rights and made a statement saying in part that he admitted to the alleged crimes.

Peterson is currently free on $35,000 bail, with a court date set for July 3, records show. He is ordered not to leave New York as part of his bail conditions.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.

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Original story below…

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A suspect accused of traveling to Tulsa from New York to meet a 16-year-old girl is now in custody, authorities say.

The Tulsa Police Department said the suspect, who has not been identified, was arrested at LaGuardia Airport after taking the girl on a plane to New York on Wednesday.

TPD said officers were called to a Tulsa home Wednesday for a missing person report. The woman said her daughter had not been seen or heard from since 9:30 a.m. that day.

An investigation determined that the girl had met a 25-year-old suspect online and had been communicating for several months. TPD said the suspect received nude photos and videos from the 16-year-old.

Detectives said the suspect took a bus to Tulsa, met the victim, then kidnapped her and returned to New York on Wednesday.

New York authorities worked with Tulsa police and took the suspect into custody at the airport Thursday morning.

The victim is in preventive detention and will be reunited with his family.

Tulsa police said they are working with federal partners to bring charges in this case, so the suspect cannot yet be identified.