ST. GEORGE, Utah – Ryan Gary Patch, 28, of Dayton, Ohio, has been sentenced to 180 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for kidnapping and sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl he met on Instagram. The sentance was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen following patch’s guilty plea to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
The victim’s quick thinking and technological skills were instrumental in her rescue. After being abducted from her California home on July 24, 2024, she managed to contact her family via a new Instagram account and an iPad, providing her location. Patch had confiscated and broken her phone and instructed her to delete accounts and reset devices. Cedar City Police officers located Patch and the victim in a vehicle matching the description provided by the reporting party. Patch initially claimed the girl was his sister, but officers confirmed her identity as the victim.
“It was only due to the victim’s technological savvy and quick thinking that Patch’s terrifying plan was undone. Nonetheless, his abduction of the victim has inflicted trauma no one shoudl have to endure. Communities are safer with defendants like patch behind bars, and it is our hope that the victim and her family can continue to heal knowing justice is being served.”
– Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah
During the investigation, child sexual abuse material depicting the victim was discovered on an iPad in the vehicle. Further investigation into Snapchat accounts revealed child pornography of the victim and messages detailing Patch’s plans.His accounts also contained exchanges with other suspected underage minors.
The case was investigated by the Utah Department of Public Safety, including the Utah Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation, in conjunction with the Cedar City Police Department. Assistant United states Attorneys Christopher Burton and Brady Wilson prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
