WOOD COUNTY, W.Va. — A Missouri truck driver is facing multiple felony charges after a missing 16-year-old girl was found inside his tractor-trailer at a West Virginia Welcome Center, authorities said.

According to the Parkersburg Police Department, officers responded on January 4, 2026, to the West Virginia Welcome Center in Williamstown regarding a report of a missing juvenile. When officers arrived, they located the teen inside the cab of a tractor-trailer operated by William Lee Santos, 38, of Webb City, Missouri.

Investigators said Santos met the girl through a social media platform and allegedly maintained a sexual relationship with her for several months. Authorities allege that Santos coordinated meetings while traveling through the area, parking at the Welcome Center, unloading a vehicle he was hauling, and then leaving to pick up the teen.

Officers seized Santos’ cellphone at the scene. The juvenile was returned to her parents, and Santos was initially released pending further investigation.

Williamstown Police contacted Parkersburg Police Detective D.W. Miller, who is assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The teen was later interviewed at the North Star Child Advocacy Center.

After obtaining a search warrant for the cellphone, investigators reported finding evidence that Santos would pick up the girl in Williamstown and take her to Marietta, Ohio, where he allegedly engaged in sexual activity with her. Detectives also reported discovering numerous videos on the device that allegedly depicted Santos recording the encounters and storing them on his phone.

A warrant was issued charging Santos with 11 counts of distribution and exhibiting sexually explicit material involving a minor and one count of soliciting a minor. Detectives requested assistance from the United States Marshals Service in locating him.

Santos was arrested February 5, 2026, by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and booked into the Murray County Jail in Oklahoma. On February 17, 2026, he was extradited to West Virginia by Parkersburg Police detectives and arraigned in Wood County Magistrate Court, where bond was set at $450,000.

Santos failed to post bond and is currently being held at the North Central Regional Jail. Authorities said additional charges may be filed by the Marietta Police Department as the investigation continues.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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