SPARTANBURG, SC — A 12-year-old South Carolina girl who authorities say was targeted through social media was found safe in Arkansas about a day after she was reported missing. Riley Berryhill remained in protective custody Wednesday evening in Independence County while officials arranged physical and mental health evaluations before her return to South Carolina.
Deputies arrested 31-year-old Brandon Lee Britten at the Arkansas home where Riley was found. The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said it had obtained a kidnapping warrant for him, and Sheriff Bill Rhyne said more charges could still come in South Carolina or Arkansas as investigators continue sorting out the case.
Surveillance video showed the girl getting into a dark sedan in Woodruff
Riley was reported missing at about 5:47 p.m. Tuesday after she was last seen in the Woodruff area. At first, investigators thought she may have run away, but they later concluded she had been “groomed” online by an adult. Rhyne said the case is a reminder that predators use the internet to reach children.
Investigators later said surveillance video showed Riley in a Woodruff-area parking lot shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday. Another recording captured her getting into a dark-colored Chevrolet Malibu around 4:25 p.m., and the car then headed north on South Carolina Highway 101.
Deputies and investigators spent hours going door to door and checking businesses along the highway for video that could help identify the vehicle and its plate. That early work did not immediately produce a break, and the search had begun to narrow only after more cameras and records were checked.
Flock Safety camera images led deputies to an Arkansas address
The breakthrough came about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, when investigators found an image of the Malibu through Flock Safety, a camera network that photographs vehicles and license plates. That image gave them the plate number, which allowed detectives to identify the registered owner and connect the car to an address in Independence County, Arkansas.
Rhyne said the same camera system had also recorded the Malibu near Cullman and Hoover, Alabama, as it traveled west. One image was taken around 1 a.m. Wednesday near Cullman, giving investigators another sign that the car was moving far beyond South Carolina.
Spartanburg County authorities then contacted the Independence County Sheriff’s Office and asked deputies to check the Arkansas home, which is about an 11-hour drive from Spartanburg County. Riley was found there about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, less than two hours after investigators confirmed the vehicle information.
Deputies say the child was taken into protective custody for medical checks
After Riley was found, officials said she was placed in protective custody in Arkansas. They said she would undergo physical and mental health evaluations before being returned to South Carolina, a step intended to make sure she is safe and medically cleared after the search.
Britten, who investigators identified as the registered owner of the Malibu, was arrested at the home. The kidnapping warrant in Spartanburg County was signed at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, after investigators had already located Riley and confirmed the car connection.
Rhyne said the most important fact was that the child was safe. He also said investigators were still working to determine how long Riley had been communicating with the suspect before the encounter that ended with her being taken from South Carolina.
Sheriff says a damaged camera may have slowed the search
Rhyne said the investigation briefly hit a wall before the Flock Safety image was found. He added that someone had intentionally damaged a camera that would have recorded vehicles leaving Woodruff, and said that camera could have led deputies to the car much sooner.
He suggested the search might have ended by midnight Tuesday if that camera had still been working. The claim about the delay has not been independently verified, but the sheriff used it to argue that the added camera system can be a useful investigative tool.
Rhyne defended the technology against privacy criticism, saying it does not identify suspects by itself. Instead, he said, it gives police a photo and plate number, then investigators still have to follow the trail, find the registered owner and coordinate with other agencies.
Investigators urge parents to talk with children about online dangers
An investigator who handles internet crimes against children said attempts by adults to lure children online come up almost every week. The investigator said technology companies sometimes catch suspicious conversations early and alert law enforcement before a child is harmed.
In Riley’s case, authorities have not said which social media platform was used or released details about the online messages. Rhyne urged parents to stay engaged with their children’s online activity and to use parental controls when possible.
The sheriff’s office thanked businesses and residents who shared surveillance video, along with deputies in Independence County who quickly checked the Arkansas address. Rhyne grew emotional as he praised the investigators who worked through the night, calling the outcome the best ending anyone could have hoped for.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
