Girl, 13, became sex trafficking victim after meeting 29-year-old man online, Bucks County DA says

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- Three men are charged in a sex trafficking case that involves a 13-year-old girl in Bucks County, Pa.

The district attorney's office said Tuesday it began when the child met 29-year-old Kentucky resident Zachary Lee McCauley on Snapchat.

Authorities say he lied and said he was 17, then began grooming her for sexual images.

"This case exemplifies just how long the reach is of a child sexual predator using these social media platforms," said Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn.

Then, investigators say, McCauley forced her to make a Grindr account where he arranged for the girl to be picked up by adult men in the county.

She was allegedly sexually assaulted by two men in Bucks County: 42-year-old Randy Francis Quinn and 67-year-old Thomas Van Ingen.

"There was actually a third man who met with this child, and when he met her in person it was immediately apparent that she was a child and he did not engage in the sexual encounter that he intended to engage in," said Schorn.

Police say McCauley coerced the victim into these sexual encounters by threatening her mother.

"He used grooming tactics to lower her inhibition and then those tactics evolved into threatening to inflict harm on her mother if he did not comply with his demands," said Schorn.

But investigators say it was the mother who realized something was wrong after hearing about a separate child sex abuse case back in February.

That's when she called police.

"She had concerns for her daughter's well-being, and her concerns were confirmed when she saw suspicious activity. As a result, she reported her concerns to my office and, thanks to this amazing team of county detectives standing behind me, they opened an investigation and they identified a perpetrator from Kentucky who was sexually exploiting this 13-year-old child," said Schorn.

The two Bucks County men were released on bail.

McCauley is being held in Kentucky to await extradition.