Missing Girl Held Captive, Raped In Delaware County: Police

MARPLE TOWNSHIP, PA — Marple Police charged a man with rape, statutory sexual assault, strangulation, and more in connection with a teen girl who was reported missing from Philadelphia.

Davonte Lawler-Stinney, 38, of Springfield, is charged with rape by forcible compulsion, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, false imprisonment of a minor, strangulation, interference with custody of children, unlawful restraint of a minor, indecent assault by forcible compulsion, and terroristic threats.

Police said they were called to the 2200 block of Aspen Circle in the Marple Woods Condominium Complex for a report missing teenage girl being located. The girl, 14, was reported missing out of Philadelphia on Sunday, and was found by family members in Chester Wednesday, police said.

The girl and several family members told police she was held against her will and sexually assaulted for multiple days at a residence in the complex. The girl was transported to the hospital, and a suspect, later identified as Lawler-Stinney, was taken into custody without incident.

Police said Lawler-Stinney is a Tier 3 Megan's Law Sex Offender. Court records show he was sentenced to two-and-a-half to five years in prison and 10 years of probation after pleading no contest to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse in September 2023 in connection with a 2020 incident. However, court documents show he was immediately place on parole.

"I want the public to know, especially the residents of our Marple Woods community, that Davontae Lawler-Stinney no longer lives among you nor poses a threat," Marple Police Chief Brandon Graeff said in a news release. "To thank for that, we have the victim herself along with the dedicated, driven officers and detectives of the Marple Township Police Department who worked so swiftly and diligently."

Graeff credited Sgt. Kyle Engelman and Officers Ricky Dempsey and Austin Bleacher for their work to deescalate the situation when they responded to the complex, saying they prevented "a powder keg of emotion from exploding, making a horrible situation worse."

He also thanked Deputy District Attorney Kristen Kemp for her support, consultation in charging the case, and "her unyielding support of sex crime victims every day."

Lawler-Stinney is being held on $150,000 bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 4, court records show.