ROBESON COUNTY, NC — North Carolina authorities recovered a missing South Carolina teenager and arrested a Lumberton man on Monday after tracing social media activity and IP addresses across state lines.
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office took 24-year-old Miles Gilbert of Lumberton into custody following a multi-agency investigation. Gilbert is charged with abduction of a child, sexual servitude with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a child victim, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said the case began when Horry County police alerted his office about a 16-year-old girl who had been reported as a runaway from her South Carolina home on October 31.
Through court orders and search warrants targeting social media accounts and IP addresses, investigators pinpointed a Lumberton residence where both the teenager and Gilbert were located. According to Wilkins, Gilbert had arranged for an Uber driver to transport the 16-year-old from Horry County into Robeson County.
During the investigation, detectives recovered cellphone recordings and social media evidence showing signs of violence and the use of firearms. Citing the graphic nature of the material, officials declined to release further details.
“The circumstances surrounding this arrest are every parent’s worst nightmare,” Wilkins said.
Court records show Gilbert also has pending charges in Robeson County from a separate September 2025 case, including second-degree forcible rape, crime against nature, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at 910-671-3100
All charges are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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