31-year-old man charged in case
The parents of an 11-year-old Polk County girl went to wake her up for school on Thursday, Jan. 26 and discovered she was missing.
A missing persons report was made to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the girl was found around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, hidden in a barn at a 31-year-old man’s place of employment.

The sheriff’s office charged Javier Lopez-Lopez, 31, of 16 Papa Halford Road, Tryon with felony child abduction and two counts of statutory rape, according to sheriff reports.
The sheriff’s office, which is saying only that the girl is less than 13 years old, said Lopez lied about having the girl. Officers later found her hidden in the top of a barn that was located at Lopez’ workplace on Carriage Row Road.
The Town of Columbus posted a message on Facebook Thursday alerting the public that an 11-year-old Hispanic female was missing. The message said the girl was last seen wearing a pajama shirt, blue shorts and purple tennis shoes near Tryon on Wednesday at 11 p.m.
Det. Sgt. Randall Hodge said Lopez picked the girl up from her home around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25. Her parents discovered she was missing Thursday around 6:20 a.m. Lopez was a friend of the girl’s family, Hodge said.
The sheriff’s office was assisted by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children.
Lopez is currently being held at the Polk County Jail under a $130,000 bond. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also has a hold on Lopez so he will be deported to Mexico as soon as his Polk County court trial is complete, sheriff’s officers said.