Louisiana teen found safe a week after she disappeared with a 47-year-old man she 'madly loves'
15-year-old Domeanna Spell from Louisiana had been missing since last week after she ran away on her own free will but now the teen has been located and found in Colorado, more than a thousand miles away from her home, with a family friend who is more than 30 years her senior. The man has been reportedly arrested by the police.
Officials said that Domeanna Spell was found with 47-year-old Cory 'Shane' Disotell, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado on Friday, a place that is approximately 1,165 miles from where the young teen was last seen just over one week ago. People had claimed that they last saw the teen getting off the school bus at Port Barre High School in Louisiana at around 7 am on March 28.
"This was a joint effort with our agency, the FBI, US marshals, state police, St. Landry Parish sheriffs office and many other agencies and organizations, working tirelessly and fervently," Port Barre Police Chief Deon Bordeaux said. "We are so thankful that the hard work paid off and the end result was this girl was found safe."
Spell's sister, Jerrie Cradeur, told the Daily Mail that she believed the teen willingly walked across the street after getting off the school bus and got into a car with Disotell on March 28.
"He probably has her believing that she's safe with him and that she's madly in love with him," Cradeur told KATC before Spell was found. According to online records and social media posts, Disotell is divorced with children.
According to the young girl's family, Spell is now safe and will return home soon. However, Spell's sister is pretty sure that Disotell is to be held responsible for her sister's disappearance. She said, "I do believe he did brainwash her. It was told to me that he is manipulative and he would have done it."
The older sister said how the man had become friends with her parents and soon Domeanna started babysitting for his granddaughter and soon they found out there was no granddaughter there for her to be babysitting. She also said Disotell would give Spell money every weekend, which made her parents think she was babysitting. All along, she believes her sister was in a relationship with Disotell.
Tiffany Lynn Gramm Cormier, the fiancee of Spell's other sister, Kisha Cormier, confirmed that Spell had been found in a Facebook video that was shared on the social media platform on Friday. "Domeanna has been found, she is safe, she was found in Colorado," she said, before thanking the people who shared information during the search for the teen. "We don't know anything else besides that. He has been arrested," she added, referring to Disotell.
Disotell is in police custody and is reportedly facing both state and federal charges, and the case remains under investigation. A spokesperson for the FBI’s New Orleans agency also released a statement on the teenager’s recovery.
“We are pleased to announce that Domeanna Spell of Part Barre, LA, has been safely located. We would like to praise the hard work and dedication of the men and women representing the Port Barre Police Department, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the numerous local, state, and federal agencies across the United States who were committed to safely locating Miss Spell. Additionally, the public and the media are to be commended for providing credible tips to the authorities and repeatedly reporting on Miss Spell’s story. The collaboration between law enforcement agencies was remarkable. The success of rescuing Miss Spell is a blessing.”