Crime Man Accused of Luring 15-Year-Old Girl from Dallas Mavericks Game Charged with Sexual Assault Emanuel Jose Cartagena, 33, allegedly met the 15-year-old victim outside the American Airlines Center on April 8, 2022, and then lured her to a house in the city, where he sexually assaulted her By Nicole Acosta Published on January 31, 2023 05:03 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Emanuel Jose Cartagena. Photo: Bell County Sheriff Department Nine months after the sudden disappearance of a teenage girl from a Dallas Mavericks game, authorities have arrested the man accused of abducting and sexually trafficking her. On Jan. 26, Emanuel Jose Cartagena, 33, was taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force on an outstanding felony warrant for the sexual assault of a child, according to a press release from the Dallas Police Department. He was subsequently booked into the Bell County Jail on Jan. 30, public jail records show. It is not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf. Cartagena allegedly met the 15-year-old victim outside the American Airlines Center on April 8, 2022, and then lured her to a house in the city, where he sexually assaulted her, police said in the release. The girl's parents, Kyle and Brooke Morris, told CBS News that the suspect struck up a conversation with their daughter as she was on her way to the bathroom. The only lead authorities had at the time was grainy surveillance footage of a man in a yellow hoodie, CBS News reports, adding that the man has since been identified as Cartagena. The victim was found 10 days later in an Oklahoma City hotel, where she had allegedly been drugged and sexually trafficked, the Morrises said, per the outlet. The nonprofit Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative also helped in tracking down the teen after posting an online ad soliciting sex, according to ESPN, which also reported how the girl was starved and not allowed to bathe. While there, investigators arrested three other suspects, Karen Gonzales, Sarah Hayes, and Kenneth Nelson, on charges of human trafficking, conspiracy, and computer crimes, Fox 4 reports. Two of them have since pleaded guilty and are serving prison sentences, according to CBS. It is not immediately clear which suspect is still awaiting trial. The Morrises expressed relief that a step toward justice has been taken, but acknowledged how difficult it has been to deal with the trauma. "With no Dallas arrests in the nine months since she was sexually assaulted, it has been agonizing for the victim and her parents," her family's attorney, Zeke Fortenberry, said in a statement obtained by CBS. "We hope that the other suspects related to her sexual assault in Dallas will also be arrested in the near future." If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.