14-year-old Hayleigh Wilson of Surgoinsville, Tennessee, was last seen in a Marion, North Carolina, Wal-Mart this past Tuesday with a 41-year-old sex offender, Benjamin Shook of Georgia. The pair is said to have met on the instant messaging app Kik.

As I have posted in the past, Kik is a well-known tool in the arsenal of pedophiles and sex offenders to meet victims. Also, a smartphone does not necessarily need to even be active for Kik to be used as long as a Wi-Fi connection can be found.

Shook was released from prison in 2014 and was registered as a sex offender but never updated his information after that.

An Amber Alert has been issued…

Shook was wearing a blue shirt with “Ford” written on it, dark shorts and a camouflage baseball hat. He has multiple tattoos.

Hayleigh was wearing a flowery shirt.

Hayleigh and Shook may be in a 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, Maroon in color with Tennessee tag D6020D.

If you have any information on Hayleigh Wilson or Ben Shook, contact the Surgionsville Police Department at 423-272-7121 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

My prayers go out to her family for her safe return.

UPDATE: The vehicle they had been driving has been found in Grayson County, Virginia, but neither Hayleigh nor Shook has been found as of yet.

UPDATE 6/29/2015: Here are some security cam photos recently released out of Virginia.

The US Marshals are now offering a reward for information that leads to Hayleigh’s safe return.

The pair is also said to have received a ride from an unsuspecting stranger and are believed to be on foot in the area near Sugar Grove, Virginia.

UPDATE 7/6/2015: Investigators have released new photos of Shook.

UPDATE 7/6/2015 II: Police now believe the pair to be in the vicinity of Rural Retreat, Virginia.

UPDATE 7/7/2015: Both Hayleigh Wilson and Shook have been found alive by US Marshals in Virginia. A press conference is scheduled for later today.

UPDATE 7/7/2015 II: Hayleigh was recovered unharmed while Shook was taken in without incident. The press conference can also be seen at that link.

UPDATE 6/5/2016: Shook is scheduled to plead guilty to charges of kidnapping, enticement of a minor, interstate transport of a minor, interstate travel for illegal sexual activity, and interstate travel by an unregistered sex offender. He is facing a sentence of 20 years to life.

UPDATE 6/11/2016: Shook has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced in October.

UPDATE 10/3/2016: Federal prosecutors are recommending a life sentence for Shook. Sentencing is now scheduled for November 17th.

UPDATE 10/9/2016: It seems that I must have misread the previous article, as a judge has sentenced Shook to life plus five years.