FBI: Woman allegedly drove 1,000 miles, sexually assaulted girl after meeting her on messaging app

GREENVILLE, S.C. - A South Carolina woman met a Minnesota girl who was under 12 years old through a messaging app, then met her in person, drove her more than 1,000 miles back to South Carolina and allegedly sexually assaulted her, according to the FBI. 

Katrina Marie Aliff, 23, was arrested by the FBI on Sept. 8, the Greenville News reported. She was charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. 

Aliff met the child in March through the internet app Amino, the paper reported, citing an FBI affidavit. When the girl’s father found the messages on Sept. 2, he destroyed the phone, the report said. But the child continued to communicate with Aliff using a tablet. 

On Sept. 7, Aliff allegedly arrived in South St. Paul, Minnesota, put the girl in her car, and drove the child to her apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, according to the affidavit. They arrived on the morning of Sept. 8. 

The FBI said as they left South Saint Paul, Aliff allegedly tried to destroy her phone by putting it in a cup of coffee so police could not track her location, according to The State.

When her phone was still working, police said the girl ”in an effort to assist with the destruction of the cellular telephone stabbed the telephone multiple times with a knife. Upon completion, the cellular telephone was placed back into coffee where it became non-functional,” The State reported.  

When law enforcement went into Aliff’s apartment on Sept. 8, they found her in her bedroom with the child, who was naked, and Aliff was only wearing a tank top, the reports said, citing the FBI. 

Aliff is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, federal prison records show. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.