Escambia County Sheriff: Social media may have played role in 12 year-old's death

Deputies said social media may have contributed to the death of a 12-year-old girl in Escambia County.

Naomi Jones, 12, was missing for five days before her body was found Monday in a stream about four miles from her Pensacola home.

Deputies announced the arrest of 38-year-old Robert Letroy Howard Thursday. The convicted sex offender who was visiting from Alabama is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and failure to register as a sex offender.

Escambia County Sheriff's Office said Jones was using the app Marco Polo, a video walkie-talkie app, before she was murdered. Marco Polo is similar to Snapchat, except users can hold on to videos and revisit them whenever they like.

Investigators said they developed persons of interest in the case after they found conversations of sexual nature on the app. Detectives have not said if Howard was having conversations with Jones on the app.

Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson said investigators looked at Jones' social media activity because they know it can often lead to a suspect.

“Some of it can be … frightening because it’s individuals who, when you check their footprint through the internet, you realize these people are in other countries maybe involved in sex trafficking,” Carson said.

Investigators are looking into how Howard and Jones met and warning parents about letting their kids roam freely online.

Cox Media Group