Thomson Man Indicted for Trafficking Missing 17-Year-Old Female in McDuffie County
THOMSON, GA — A 40-year-old Thomson man has been indicted on felony human trafficking and child sexual exploitation charges involving a 17-year-old female who had previously been reported missing.
A McDuffie County Grand Jury returned the indictment against Jimmy Mance on Monday, June 8, 2026, following a multi-agency investigation led by the Georgia Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Jimmy Mance was arrested after a manhunt.
Mance faces four felony counts:
- Two counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude
- Two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child
Missing Minor Recovered, Sparking Investigation
The case originated in December 2025 when law enforcement successfully located and recovered the 17-year-old victim, who had been classified as a missing child. Following her recovery, specialized investigators began retracing her whereabouts, uncovering evidence that Mance had allegedly trafficked and exploited her within McDuffie County.
On April 13, 2026, the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit secured formal arrest warrants against Mance, culminating in his indictment this month.
Expanded Regional Task Force Tackles Case
The prosecution is a direct result of Attorney General Chris Carr’s recent expansion of the state’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit into the Augusta and Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) regions.
“Once we recover a victim, we won’t rest until every one of their traffickers is off the streets and behind bars,” Attorney General Carr said in a statement. “We’re grateful to our law enforcement partners in the CSRA who have welcomed our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit into the community and stood with us in this fight.”
The extensive investigation required coordination across multiple local jurisdictions. The GBI and the state’s specialized trafficking unit were assisted by the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office, the Thomson Police Department, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.
Mance’s case will now move forward into the trial phase in McDuffie County Superior Court.
