Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
Defendants Sexually Assaulted Teen Victim in Their Van and Apartment Over Several Days
ROANOKE, Va. – A married couple from Springfield, Missouri, was arrested recently and charged with transporting a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Justin Johiah Curtright, 40, and Christin Marie Curtright, 32, groomed the 13-year-old victim over the internet, traveled from Missouri to pick her up from her home in Virginia, then repeatedly sexually assaulted her in their van and at their Springfield, Missouri apartment until she was rescued by police.
According to the federal criminal complaint filed last week, in May 2024 the victim met Justin Curtright on Discord, an online group chat platform, where the two talked for hours. The victim initially used an alias and claimed she was 18 years old. Justin Curtright soon began talking in sexual overtones and eventually sent the victim a sexually explicit video of himself.
The next morning, Justin added the victim to a private Discord channel that included him and his wife, Christin Curtright. From that point, the three talked extensively, both online and by phone. The victim eventually admitted she was only 13 years old.
The Curtrights also engaged in sexually explicit acts on-camera while video chatting with the victim. Justin would frequently pretend to be the victim’s father.
At some point near the end of June, the Curtrights devised a plan to drive to southern Virginia to abduct the victim and take her to their Springfield apartment. On the morning of July 24, 2024, as planned, the Curtrights met the victim near her home in Virginia. The victim got in the Curtrights’ vehicle, and they transported her back to Missouri.
During the trip back to Missouri, the Curtrights each took turns sexually assaulting the victim while the other drove. Once they reached their apartment, they continued their sexual abuse and exploitation of the victim for several more days.
On July 27, 2024, officers with the Springfield Police Department went to the Curtrights’ apartment, where they found the victim hiding in the back of a closet in the Curtrights’ bedroom. The victim had a debit card and false ID that Justin Curtright gave her, which represented her as Justin’s 15-year-old daughter.
Springfield officers seized the Curtrights’ phones, which held recordings of the Curtrights’ video chats grooming and sexually exploiting the victim, as well as images of the victim being abused during the drive to Missouri.
If convicted, the Curtrights face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Springfield Police Department, and various local law enforcement agencies investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.