Suspect in Disappearance of Gainesville Girl to Remain in Ohio Custody

The suspect arrested last week in connection with the disappearance of Maria Gomez-Perez, 12, of Gainesville will remain in the custody of authorities in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, for the foreseeable future.

Antonio Agustin-Ailon, 34, a Guatemalan national living in Dover, Ohio, was taken into custody last Thursday, July 25, 2024, after Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) investigators discovered him with the missing girl in Dover. Agustin-Ailon had traveled to Gainesville for the purpose of taking the victim back to his residence in Ohio. The investigation determined the suspect took the victim from Gainesville on May 29, 2024, the day she was last seen at her residence.

“After consultation with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and the elected county prosecutor in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, we have determined it best to delay extradition to Hall County,” said Lee Darragh, District Attorney for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia. “Based on the information we have at this time, the most serious criminal offenses in this case occurred in Ohio, and the bulk of necessary witnesses even to prove a Hall County case are in Ohio. It makes sense that the suspect answer to what charges Ohio proceeds on first.”

Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch agreed with the DA’s decision. “My primary goal in this case is to see justice done. If that means we have to wait for this suspect to have his day in court in Ohio before he faces our charges, so be it. I just want to make sure he has no chance of luring another young girl from home, wreaking havoc on another community like he did ours,” said Sheriff Couch.

The DA’s office indicated it will move forward with filing relevant charges in Hall County, likely through a Grand Jury presentation, as Tuscarawas County proceeds with its case.