BELHAVEN POLICE DEPARTMENT

125 West Main Street Belhaven, NC 2781                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Contact: Chief F.P. Clingenpeel FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Tel. 252-943-2242/Cell 252-944-3995                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Email: chiefofpolice@belhavennc.us

On January 25, 2022, Mary Pagliaro, 15 years old, was reported missing by her parents. Officers with the Belhaven Police Department (BPD) immediately began the investigation by, initially, gathering statements, canvassing the area, speaking to school officials, and following up on other leads. In the hours that followed, officers contacted approximately 40 individuals thought to have known the whereabouts of Ms. Pagliaro who was last seen by an acquaintance two blocks from her residence. Mary Pagliaro was listed missing in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

After hearing about the case, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office volunteered to do a Crime Stoppers reward on Ms. Pagliaro and offered any and all assistance necessary to find the juvenile. WITN also covered the case with a news story. Over the course of the next 12 hours, BPD officers began various legal processes to search several social media accounts, in the hopes of finding clues to the location of Ms. Pagliaro. On the morning of January 26, 2022, an investigator with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office contacted the department and stated that an office in Greenville, NC, consisting of members of the Greenville Police Department (GPD), North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), had heard about the case and offered their assistance. The BPD graciously accepted this offer. Within an hour, agents with the FBI were knocking on doors in Virginia. The next 24 hours consisted of constant interagency cooperation and communication, various legal processes, and FBI agent visits to numerous locations in Virginia.

On the evening of January 27, 2022, agents with the FBI located Mary Pagliaro in Virginia unharmed. She was returned to Beaufort County at approximately 3:00 am on the morning of January 28, 2022. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that Mary Pagliaro voluntarily got into a car with individuals she met in an online chat room. The group then travelled to Williamsburg, VA, where they remained until discovery.

The following individuals were charged with NCGS 14-43.3: Felonious Restraint by the Belhaven Police Department:

Jacob Aaron Sanders

DOB 02-16-1996

603 Allison Street

Gladewater, TX

 

Helena Janelle Bernache

DOB 05-11-1997

547 Greenbriar Drive

Culpeper, VA

 

The investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests and charges may follow.

Even though Mary Pagliaro volunteered to travel with the adults, due to her age, her consent did not matter.

The Belhaven Police Department would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance:

· Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office

· NCSBI Criminal Apprehension Team and Fugitive and Missing Person Task Force

· NCSBI Northeastern and Piedmont District

· FBI Charlotte-Greenville Resident Agency

· FBI Norfolk-Peninsula Resident Agency

· Guildford County Sheriff’s Office

· Williamsburg (VA) Police Department

· York County (VA) Sheriff’s Office