Officials say a phone location ping and swift hotel search led officers to the child and a 27-year-old suspect.
GALVESTON, TX — Galveston police on Thursday detailed how officers tracked a missing 12-year-old to a hotel room and found her alive hours after she vanished while walking her dog Friday evening near the West End, then arrested a Dallas man at the scene.
Police leaders said the quick recovery matters because it shows how routine technology and persistence can close the gap in the first hours of a child abduction. Authorities named 27-year-old Graham Michael Dunn as the suspect and said he faces aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault of a child. The case is now with Galveston County prosecutors, who requested high or no bond on the most serious counts. Investigators are still reviewing digital evidence and hotel security video while coordinating with other states where Dunn has been under investigation.
According to police, the girl left home about 7 p.m. Friday to walk the family dog and never returned. Relatives called police around 8:30 p.m. Officers quickly sent an emergency ping to the child’s phone and got a hit near the 8700 block of Seawall Blvd. Responding units fanned out across nearby lots and businesses as a supervisor requested drones and a helicopter to search the beachfront corridor. At a hotel along Seawall, an officer asked staff to pull security footage but was told no one on duty could access it. The officer insisted a manager respond. When video finally loaded, it showed the child entering the lobby with an adult man. Officers moved to the room tied to that timestamp and, after the door was not fully opened, forced entry around 10:30 p.m., finding the girl inside and taking a man into custody.
Police Chief Doug Balli said the officer’s refusal to quit on the hotel video “made the difference,” adding that the family “did nothing wrong.” Balli said three drones were launched in minutes while patrol units secured stairwells and exits. District Attorney Ken Cusick called the case “one of the most disgusting situations” he has seen in his career and said prosecutors would seek the maximum punishment allowed by law. Investigators said the suspect had given the child pills that made her feel woozy and that acts in the room were recorded on a phone. A preliminary bond was set at $500,000 on the kidnapping count, and prosecutors said they would seek separate no-bond hearings on two sexual assault counts. Officials said the child was evaluated by medical professionals and reunited with family.
Authorities said the suspect and victim met through social media, but investigators declined to name the platform, citing the active case. In a Saturday court appearance, Dunn told a magistrate he had never faced a felony, though records reviewed by investigators show pending cases in several states last year and a local warrant tied to a family-violence case. Police said they are working with agencies in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Kentucky and Louisiana to compare evidence and timelines and to determine whether any interstate violations apply. Detectives said they are collecting hotel surveillance, body-camera video and digital files seized at the scene and will submit them for forensic analysis.
Officers traced the girl’s route from the neighborhood near 11 Mile Road to the Seawall hotel, logging times and camera angles from nearby businesses. A SWAT-trained officer led the breach after a knock-and-announce brought only a partial opening of the door, according to police. When officers entered, they found the suspect in boxers and the child on the bed, investigators said. Outside, nearby guests recorded parts of the arrest from the parking lot as uniformed officers cleared the hallway. Police credited help from the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the University of Texas Medical Branch Police and the Texas Department of Public Safety for the rapid search perimeter.
Investigators said the West End disappearance was reported during a busy Friday night on the island, with steady traffic along Seawall Blvd. and hotel occupancy high. Galveston Beach Hotel staff provided footage once a manager arrived, police said. Balli, the chief, condemned the abduction and thanked dispatchers who accelerated the phone ping and coordinated drone launches. “Justice has arrived,” Cusick, the district attorney, said at Thursday’s news conference. A department spokesperson said no additional suspects are sought and that detectives are examining messages exchanged before the meeting.
Prosecutors said formal charges include aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. A magistrate set a $500,000 bond on the kidnapping case; prosecutors said they would ask a district judge to deny bond on the sexual assault counts at upcoming hearings. The suspect remained in the Galveston County Jail as of Thursday. Police said next steps include full forensic downloads of seized devices, lab testing related to pills recovered at the scene and additional interviews. Officials said a case update is expected after lab results are returned and a judge rules on bond.
By Thursday afternoon, the hotel corridor where officers forced entry had returned to normal, with housekeeping carts stacked near the elevator and a damaged strike plate on the rescued room’s door. “Our community should be able to walk their dogs and enjoy the evening,” Balli said. A neighbor who saw patrol cars race down Seawall said lights “lit up the whole block” as officers converged. “They were moving with a purpose,” he said. Investigators said the family is requesting privacy.
As of Friday morning, the suspect remained jailed and the child was home with relatives. Prosecutors said they will seek additional court settings in the coming days while police continue to process video and digital evidence collected during the rescue.
Author note: Last updated February 6, 2026.