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Lumberton, Robeson County

Lumberton: Man charged after missing Horry County teen found

WMBF quotes Sheriff Burnis Wilkins on a Monday search at a Lumberton home. The Robesonian and WFXB print exploitation counts and a no-bond jail status. WFXB says the missing-report time is unclear. The counts are accusations.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Alexandru Stanciu · Published

What we know

Confirmed

  • WMBF, by Sydney Ryan and WMBF News Staff, published on Nov. 11, 2026, at 9:36 a.m. Eastern. The page records article:published_time 2026-11-11T14:36:47.208Z and article:modified_time 2026-11-11T21:39:36.444Z, which is 4:39 p.m. Eastern. A reread on the morning of Nov. 12 still showed that modified time. This file does not say what the afternoon edit changed.Confirmed by WMBF page read Nov. 12, 2026
  • That WMBF account says the Robeson County Sheriff's Office found the missing teen on Monday and arrested 24-year-old Miles Gilbert of Lumberton. A caption on the page gives the name Miles Tyler Gilbert. The picture is not used here.Confirmed by WMBF, Sydney Ryan and WMBF News Staff, published Nov. 11, 2026, 9:36 a.m. Eastern
  • WMBF's charge list does not give counts. It names abduction of a child, sexual servitude with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a child victim, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.Confirmed by WMBF, Nov. 11, 2026
  • Sheriff Burnis Wilkins told WMBF the inquiry began after Horry County police contacted his office about a 16-year-old who had been reported as a runaway, and that the teen left her Horry County home on Oct. 31. The age and the Oct. 31 date are in this WMBF account. The Robesonian and WFXB do not print them.Confirmed by Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, as reported by WMBF only
  • Wilkins told WMBF that investigators used search warrants and court orders to examine social media accounts and IP addresses, and that the trail led to a Lumberton home where the teenager and Gilbert were found.Confirmed by Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, as reported by WMBF only
  • Wilkins told WMBF that the teenager was taken from South Carolina to Robeson County by an Uber driver arranged by Gilbert. The Robesonian and WFXB do not print that account.Confirmed by Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, as reported by WMBF only
  • Wilkins told WMBF that investigators found evidence involving social media platforms and cellphone recordings, that firearms were used during the recordings, and that investigators found signs of violence. He said the office did not release more because the evidence was graphic. This file does not add any of that detail.Confirmed by Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, as reported by WMBF only
  • Wilkins told WMBF: "The circumstances surrounding this arrest are every parent's worst nightmare."Confirmed by Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, as reported by WMBF
  • WMBF wrote that Gilbert also faces separate pending charges in a Robeson County case filed in September 2025. It said court records list second-degree forcible rape, crime against nature, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. The story does not call those counts convictions. The Robesonian and WFXB do not mention that case.Confirmed by Court records, as reported by WMBF only
  • WMBF printed a request that anyone with additional information call the Robeson County Sheriff's Office at 910-671-3100.Confirmed by WMBF, Nov. 11, 2026
  • The Robesonian published at 10:03 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 11, 2026. article:published_time and article:modified_time are both 2026-11-11T10:03:00-05:00. The page's author field names Chris Stiles. Citing the sheriff's office, the paper said an inquiry into a missing female teenager from Horry County, South Carolina, led to charges. It did not print an age.Confirmed by The Robesonian, Chris Stiles, Nov. 11, 2026, 10:03 a.m. Eastern
  • The Robesonian said the teenager was located Monday at a residence in Lumberton, and that the inquiry led to the arrest of Miles Tyler Gilbert, 24, of Lumberton.Confirmed by The Robesonian, citing the Robeson County Sheriff's Office
  • The Robesonian's charge list is abduction of a child, sexual servitude with a minor, three counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a child victim, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.Confirmed by The Robesonian, citing the Robeson County Sheriff's Office
  • The Robesonian said Gilbert is being held in the custody of the Robeson County Detention Center without a bond. It alone named the Special Victim's Unit as the unit that investigated.Confirmed by The Robesonian only, for the unit name and for the words \"without a bond\"
  • The Robesonian printed the same phone number, 910-671-3100, and its tip sentence also asks about unrelated cases. WMBF's tip sentence does not include that phrase. WFXB's story, as read here, does not print the number.Confirmed by The Robesonian; comparison with WMBF and WFXB
  • The Robesonian quoted a sheriff's office release saying a person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, and that the post is not an opinion of guilt. The same quotation says the office does not set bond amounts. A judge or magistrate does, under N.C. General Statute 15A-532.Confirmed by Robeson County Sheriff's Office release, as quoted by The Robesonian
  • WFXB, by Annelyn Russ, published at 2:30 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 11, 2026. datePublished and dateModified are both 2026-11-11T19:30:19+00:00. The story says it is unclear when the teenager was reported missing. That line is not treated as WMBF's Oct. 31 date.Confirmed by WFXB, Annelyn Russ, Nov. 11, 2026, 2:30 p.m. Eastern
  • WFXB said the teenager was located Monday at a residence in the Lumberton area of Robeson County, and that 24-year-old Miles Gilbert was arrested. It did not print a hometown in the text read here.Confirmed by WFXB, Annelyn Russ, Nov. 11, 2026
  • WFXB named three counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a child victim, and one count of abduction of a child, then the words "and more." It did not name sexual servitude or the delinquency count. This file does not read "and more" as those two charges.Confirmed by WFXB, Annelyn Russ, Nov. 11, 2026
  • WFXB said Gilbert is being held in the Robeson County Detention Center without bond, and that further details were not immediately available. That page, as read here, has no sheriff quotation, no Uber account, and no September 2025 case.Confirmed by WFXB, Annelyn Russ, Nov. 11, 2026
  • The Monday named by all three outlets, read against a Nov. 11 publication date, was Nov. 9, 2026. None of the three pages printed the calendar date Nov. 9. No account printed a street or a house number, and none printed the teenager's name.Confirmed by Comparison of WMBF, The Robesonian, and WFXB, read Nov. 12, 2026

Alleged or reported

  • Gilbert committed abduction of a child, sexual servitude with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a child victim, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.Charge names as WMBF listed them, without counts, from the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. A charge is an accusation. Gilbert is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
  • The exploitation counts are three counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a child victim, along with abduction of a child, sexual servitude with a minor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.The Robesonian, citing the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. WFXB listed the same exploitation numbers and one abduction count, then wrote "and more," and did not name servitude or delinquency. A charge is an accusation. Gilbert is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
  • Gilbert arranged an Uber driver who brought the teenager from South Carolina to Robeson County.Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, as reported by WMBF only. The Robesonian and WFXB did not print this. It is an allegation. Gilbert is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
  • In a separate Robeson County case filed in September 2025, Gilbert committed second-degree forcible rape, a crime against nature, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.Court records, as reported by WMBF only. WMBF calls them pending charges in a separate case. They are not convictions. The Robesonian and WFXB did not mention them. Gilbert is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Still unknown

  • The teenager's name. The three accounts used here did not print one, and this file does not
  • A street or a house number. None of the three accounts printed one
  • A court date
  • Whether Gilbert has a lawyer, and whether he has made a public statement. None of the three accounts printed either
  • Where the teenager is now
  • What the 4:39 p.m. Eastern edit changed on the WMBF page
  • Why WFXB calls the missing-report time unclear when WMBF, quoting Wilkins, gives Oct. 31
  • Whether WFXB's words "and more" refer to sexual servitude and the delinquency count. This file does not treat them as those charges
  • A sheriff's office webpage opened for this file. The Robesonian quotes a release. This desk did not open the office site
  • The outcome of the September 2025 case. Pending charges are not a conviction

What this means for you

Public safety
A charge is an accusation. Gilbert is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The September 2025 counts, which only WMBF reported, are pending charges and not convictions. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

Instructions from Robeson County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WMBF and The Robesonian

This site is not the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. WMBF and The Robesonian wrote that anyone with information can call 910-671-3100. The Robesonian's line also covered unrelated cases. To report suspected child abuse that is not an emergency, contact your county department of social services. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Lumberton, sheriff's deputies found a missing teenager from Horry County, South Carolina. The arrest came on Monday. The man lives in the city. WMBF, The Robesonian, and WFXB each published an account on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. The charges are accusations. Miles Tyler Gilbert has not been convicted.

The Monday before those reports was Nov. 9, 2026. None of the pages printed that calendar date. It appears here only as a reading of the word Monday.

What WMBF reported

Sydney Ryan and the WMBF news staff published at 9:36 a.m. Eastern. The page was modified at 4:39 p.m. Eastern. A morning reread on Nov. 12 still showed that later stamp. Nothing here describes what the edit changed.

The station wrote that the sheriff's office found the teenager on Monday and arrested 24-year-old Miles Gilbert of Lumberton. A caption gives the longer name Miles Tyler Gilbert. The picture beside it is not used.

Its charge names, with no numbers attached, start with abduction of a child. Next is sexual servitude with a minor. It also lists sexual exploitation of a minor and sexual exploitation of a child victim, then a delinquency count involving a minor.

Sheriff Burnis Wilkins told the station the inquiry started when Horry County police called about a 16-year-old reported as a runaway. He said she left that Horry County home on Oct. 31. The age and the October date are his account to WMBF. The newspaper and WFXB do not carry them.

He said search warrants and court orders covered social-media accounts and IP addresses, and that the trail ended at a home in Lumberton where both the teenager and Gilbert were found. He also said an Uber driver, arranged by Gilbert, brought her from South Carolina into this county.

On the evidence, he described social-media material and cellphone recordings, said firearms were used in those recordings, and said investigators saw signs of violence. The office held back anything more and called the material graphic. No further description is added here.

"The circumstances surrounding this arrest are every parent's worst nightmare," Wilkins said.

WMBF also reported that Gilbert has another set of pending counts in a Robeson case filed in September 2025. It attributed second-degree forcible rape, crime against nature, and a juvenile delinquency count to court records. It did not call them convictions. The other two outlets are silent on that file.

WMBF asked anyone with further information to call 910-671-3100.

What The Robesonian reported

The Robesonian's story is timed at 10:03 a.m. Eastern, and the modified time matches. The page's author field names Chris Stiles. Citing the sheriff's office, it said an inquiry into a missing female teenager from Horry County produced what the paper called multiple sexual-offense charges. It gave no age.

The teenager, it wrote, was located Monday at a city residence. The arrest it names is Miles Tyler Gilbert, 24, of Lumberton.

The paper attaches numbers WMBF left off: three first-degree counts on the minor-exploitation charge, and four second-degree counts on the child-victim charge. Abduction of a child is on that list. Sexual servitude with a minor is included. Contributing to the delinquency of a minor is included too.

It said he is in the custody of the Robeson County Detention Center without a bond. Only this paper named the Special Victim's Unit. Its phone number matches WMBF's, and the sentence also invites tips on unrelated cases.

A release quoted there says each person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, and that the post is not a finding of guilt. The same quotation says the sheriff's office does not choose a bond amount. A judge or magistrate does, under N.C. General Statute 15A-532.

What WFXB reported

Annelyn Russ published WFXB's story at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. The modified time is the same. The copy says it is unclear when the missing-person report was made. That sentence stays separate from the Oct. 31 line.

WFXB placed the Monday discovery in the Lumberton area and did not name a street. It identified the person arrested as 24-year-old Miles Gilbert and did not add a hometown in the text read here.

The counts it names are the same first-degree and second-degree exploitation numbers, and one abduction-of-a-child count, followed by "and more." Servitude is not named. The delinquency count is not named. Those two words are not filled in from the other stories.

The station said he is held at the detention center without bond, and that more detail was not ready. The page had no tip number, no quotation from Wilkins, no Uber account, and no 2025 case.

Not in these accounts

No story printed the teenager's name, a street, or a house number. No court date, lawyer, or statement from Gilbert appears. Where the teenager is now was not reported.

A charge is an accusation. Gilbert is presumed innocent. That covers the new counts and the September 2025 counts WMBF called pending. No count named here is a conviction.

People with information can call the Robeson County Sheriff's Office at 910-671-3100. Triangle Local is not that office and not an emergency service. If a child is in danger, call 911. To report suspected abuse that is not an emergency, contact your county department of social services.

Related coverage

Other Robeson County stories are on the county page. An October human-trafficking case, with different defendants, is not this arrest: earlier file. A separate Cumberland County shooting, on Independence Place Drive in Fayetteville, is not this case either: earlier file.

Photos

Text-only. No image or video from WMBF, The Robesonian, or WFXB is used. The booking photograph is not used.

Why it matters

A Lumberton man is jailed on charges tied to a missing Horry County teenager found in Robeson County. Readers need the three accounts kept apart. The age and the Oct. 31 runaway report are Wilkins, via WMBF. The numbered exploitation counts and the no-bond custody line are The Robesonian and WFXB. WFXB still says the report time is unclear. Every count is an accusation.

Updates

  1. Nov 12, 2026, 5:52 AM

    First published. WMBF, The Robesonian, and WFXB stay separate. The teenager is not named. No street or house number. lead is false, so this file does not pin the homepage. The Nov. 12 desk still selects it: it is the only story filed on this Eastern day, it is public safety, and the Nov. 10 Spring Lake pin holds only through Nov. 11. Not TikTok. Text-only. No booking photo and no outlet video.

Sources

  1. Missing Horry County teen found, Lumberton man charged (WMBF, Sydney Ryan and WMBF News Staff, article:published_time 2026-11-11T14:36:47.208Z / 9:36 a.m. Eastern Nov. 11, article:modified_time 2026-11-11T21:39:36.444Z / 4:39 p.m. Eastern: Robeson County Sheriff's Office found the missing teen Monday and arrested 24-year-old Miles Gilbert of Lumberton; caption name Miles Tyler Gilbert; charges without counts — abduction of a child, sexual servitude with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a child victim, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said Horry County police contacted his office about a 16-year-old reported as a runaway who left her Horry County home on Oct. 31; search warrants and court orders on social media accounts and IP addresses led to a Lumberton home; an Uber driver arranged by Gilbert brought the teenager from South Carolina to Robeson County; evidence involved social media platforms and cellphone recordings; firearms were used during the recordings; signs of violence; further detail withheld as graphic. Quote: "The circumstances surrounding this arrest are every parent's worst nightmare." Separate pending Robeson County case filed in September 2025, court records: second-degree forcible rape, crime against nature, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Tip line 910-671-3100. This page does not say he is held without bond and does not give the first-degree or second-degree counts. Text-only. The sheriff's office image and the station video are not used. This file does not say what the 4:39 p.m. edit changed.)

    Official sourcePublished by Robeson County Sheriff's Office, via WMBF · Checked Nov 12, 2026, 5:52 AM

  2. Lumberton man charged with multiple sexual offenses in connection to missing SC teen (The Robesonian, author field Chris Stiles, article:published_time and article:modified_time 2026-11-11T10:03:00-05:00 / 10:03 a.m. Eastern Nov. 11: sheriff's office said an inquiry into a missing female teenager from Horry County, South Carolina, led to charges; teen located Monday at a residence in Lumberton; Miles Tyler Gilbert, 24, of Lumberton, arrested; abduction of a child, sexual servitude with a minor, three counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a child victim, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor; held in the custody of the Robeson County Detention Center without a bond; Special Victim's Unit investigated; 910-671-3100, including unrelated cases. Release quoted on presumption of innocence and on bond being set by a judge or magistrate under N.C. General Statute 15A-532, not by the sheriff's office. No age, no Oct. 31 date, no Uber account, no September 2025 case, and no Wilkins quotation. Text-only. The page image is not used.)

    Official sourcePublished by Robeson County Sheriff's Office, via The Robesonian · Checked Nov 12, 2026, 5:52 AM

  3. Man charged after missing Horry Co. teen found in Robeson Co. (WFXB, Annelyn Russ, datePublished and dateModified 2026-11-11T19:30:19+00:00 / 2:30 p.m. Eastern Nov. 11: unclear when the teen was reported missing; located Monday at a residence in the Lumberton area of Robeson County; 24-year-old Miles Gilbert arrested; three counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a child victim, one count of abduction of a child, and more; held in the Robeson County Detention Center without bond; further details were not immediately available. Does not name sexual servitude or a delinquency count, does not print a tip number, and does not mention Wilkins, an Uber, an age of 16, or a September 2025 case. Text-only. The page image is not used.)

    Third-party sourcePublished by WFXB · Checked Nov 12, 2026, 5:52 AM

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