Missing Teenager Found In Kokomo Man’s Bathroom With Hickey On His Neck

KOKOMO, Ind. — When police asked 53-year-old Michael Horne of Kokomo why he thought he was sitting in the police department being questioned by officers, the man reportedly answered that it might have something to do with the missing 14-year-old boy found in his bathroom with an apparent hickey on his neck.

On Sunday, the police visited Michael Horne's house on Independence Drive in Kokomo as part of their investigation into a possible runaway 14-year-old. They were able to track Horne down as the Flock camera system captured his Tesla leaving the area where the child was last spotted. Court documents mention this incident.

The police located Horne's residence by tracing the Tesla to him, and upon arrival, Horne granted them permission to search his home. According to reports, Horne informed the police that no one else was present inside the house.

Despite Horne's claim, the officers discovered the missing 14-year-old in his house. The youngster was standing in the bathroom with the door partly shut and seemed extremely drowsy and disoriented, as per the reports. Moreover, the juvenile had what seemed like a love bite on his neck.

Afterward, when the authorities questioned the teenager, he stated that he couldn't recall how he got the hickey but was sure that it wasn't there the previous night.
Legal papers indicate that when the police inquired Horne about the circumstances surrounding the missing boy's presence in his house, he initially stated that the teenager had approached him at a gas station and requested a place to stay. When questioned about the hickey on the boy's neck, Horne denied any involvement in it.

Subsequently, the police informed Horne that they intended to perform a DNA swab on the boy to look for any traces of Horne's DNA. Upon being asked if there was any possibility of his DNA being present on the teenager, Horne allegedly paused for a moment before requesting legal representation.

According to court records, the police later examined Horne's phone and discovered pictures of him and the 14-year-old inside his Tesla. Additionally, Horne is accused of possessing a naked image of the juvenile.

Police determined that the photographs appeared to be saved from the Kik messaging app, but the app apparently had been deleted from Horne’s phone, according to the court documents. Police stated that Kik is an app often used for “nefarious reasons”.

Previous reports detail that Kik is often used by child predators to message their underage victims.

Horne was taken into custody on a charge of promoting child sex trafficking, classified as a Level 3 felony. In the event of a conviction, Horne could face a prison sentence ranging from three to sixteen years.