UPDATE 2/29/24: A Wisconsin man accused of kidnapping has been denied bond.
Earlier this month, a 13 year old Simpsonville girl was reported missing. On February 13, 2024, she was found in a shopping center parking lot in Key Largo Florida with 35-year-old Tyler Michael Berlick of Wisconsin.
Authorities arrested Berlick and charged him with kidnapping. He was extradited from Monroe County Florida and booked into the Greenville County Detention Center on Wednesday. He's being held without bond.
A press release sent earlier this month from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said Berlick and the teen met through an online chatting service and gaming app.
PREVIOUSLY REPORTED: A kidnapped 13 year old girl from South Carolina was found in Florida Tuesday morning. Authorities said the man who had her, was wanted.
According to the Monroe County Florida Sheriff's Office, Tyler Michael Berlick, of Wisconsin, was arrested in Key Largo and booked shortly after 5am.
Berlick and the girl were found just before 3:30 a.m. in a Dodge Ram pickup truck in a shopping center parking lot off Overseas Highway.
Officials did not say where in South Carolina 13 year old Payttan Cruz was kidnapped.
A press release from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said investigators discovered that Berlick and the teen met through an online chatting service and gaming app.
Berlick is charged with kidnapping and is being held without bond at the Monroe County Detention Center in Florida, awaiting extradition.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said the FBI is the primary investigative agency in this case.
Below is the press release from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office:
"Investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Specialized Investigations Division have made an arrest in connection to the kidnapping of 13-year-old Payttan Cruz. Tyler Michael Berlick, a 35-year-old from Mukwonago, Wisconsin, was arrested in Florida earlier this morning, around 3:30 a.m. Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies came in contact with Berlick at the Pink Plaza shopping center in Key Largo Florida. Upon further investigation, deputies discovered 13-year-old, missing teen, in the vehicle with Mr. Berlick. The Greenville FBI office, Homestead Florida FBI Office, the Muskego Police Department, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office along with the Lantana Florida Police Department assisted in the apprehension of Mr. Berlick and the recovery of the missing teen. During the course of the investigation, GCSO investigators discovered that Berlick and the teen met through an online chatting service and gaming app. Berlick is currently in the custody of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office awaiting extradition."