Nashville man charged after 2 missing East TN girls found in his home

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Members of multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to track down two girls missing from East Tennessee who were found in Middle Tennessee.

According to court documents, the girls were found Sunday at the Nashville residence of 21-year-old Isaac Schellsmidt, who was arrested and charged with felony kidnapping.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office reported the minors — ages 12 and 13 — went missing from a home in the Soddy Daisy area on Sunday, Jan. 19.

Over the course of the investigation, authorities said they discovered the girls had been in communication with a man from Nashville via social media, adding that it appeared as though the girls left the residence early Sunday morning and met the suspect nearby.

According to court documents, Schellsmidt drove the minors to his residence in Nashville, where he reportedly had sex with the 13-year-old child.

Once the Hamilton County detectives identified the man and learned the potential whereabouts of the minors, the sheriff’s office asked for help from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).

According to officials, MNPD officers went to the location and found the girls, who were unharmed but accompanied by two men. The minors were taken in by law enforcement before being released to their parents.

In an interview, Schellsmidt reportedly told police he was aware the girls were minors when he picked them up in Hamilton County, and that he was aware the parents were searching for them while they were confined in his residence.

Schellsmidt is detained in Metro jail and charged with the following:

• Kidnapping, especially aggravated, victim under 13- Felony
• Statutory rape – Felony
• Solicitation of a minor, statutory rape- Misdemeanor
• Contributing to the delinquency of a minor- Misdemeanor
• Contributing to the delinquency of a minor- Misdemeanor

His bond is set at $75,000.