A Virginia man has been arrested on a slew of heinous child sex crimes against his stepdaughters — and one of his young victims has been missing for more than a decade, according to investigators.
James Branton was hit with eight charges including two counts each of child cruelty, indecent exposure of a child, custodial indecent liberties and aggravated sexual battery, authorities said Friday.
The crimes date back to June 2006, and the purported victims were Katelin Akens and her little sister. Akens was 10 and her sister was 8 at the time of the alleged abuse, WUSA9 reported.
Branton, 46, was taken into custody on Friday — 10 years after Akens vanished before she was supposed to board a flight on Dec. 5, 2015.
Branton — who is believed to be the last person to have seen her — allegedly told investigators he dropped her off near a Metro station and she was supposed to take the train to the airport.
The then-19-year-old was on her way to visit her fiancé and her mother, Lisa Sullivan, in Arizona, according to WUSA9.
Sullivan received a text from Akens around 2 p.m. the day she went missing, saying she arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
But Akens never boarded her flight, and investigators said that her phone was never at the airport.
Two days later, her luggage, including her wallet and ID, were found in a ditch.
Branton reportedly agreed to cooperate with investigators in Akens’ missing persons case at first, but then refused to turn over his phone passwords or take a polygraph test, according to the news station.
State and federal authorities launched a probe into Branton’s Spotsylvania County home on Friday — using excavators and ground-penetrating radar equipment throughout the operation.
They returned to the property Saturday, this time accompanied by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
“They’re looking for anything indicative of a crime being committed,” a Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office official told The Post.
While no one has been charged with Akens’ disappearance, Branton is a prime suspect, he said.
“This investigation remains open and active. We appreciate the continued assistance from our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Branton is being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
The OCME did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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