Deputies find teen held in clothes dryer at Key Largo home

A Key Largo home on Miramar Drive became the center of a disturbing rescue Sunday when deputies said they found a teenage girl inside a clothes dryer after she called 911 and reported she was being held hostage. Monroe County sheriff’s deputies said the girl had been restrained and her cellphone taken when she said she wanted to leave, and the case quickly escalated into kidnapping, child-custody and sex-crime charges against 53-year-old Christopher Michael Veit.

Deputies responded to the residence at about 11:45 a.m. after the call from the victim, who was described in reporting as a teenage girl from outside Monroe County. When deputies entered the home, they found Veit, who jail records identify as a Key Largo salesman, and later learned from detectives that there had been ongoing sexual activity between the two. The charging statute suggests the victim may have been 16 or 17 years old.

Major Crimes detectives responded to the scene and collected several sheets of counterfeit currency, a detail that broadened the investigation beyond the suspected abuse and prompted notification of the U.S. Secret Service. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office also notified the Florida Department of Children and Families as authorities worked to secure the victim’s care and determine whether anyone else had warning signs before the arrest.

Jail records show Veit was booked on June 22, 2026, and held without bond. The booking lists one felony count of kidnapping, one felony count of family offense or interference with child custody, and four felony counts of sex assault or unlawful sexual activity with a minor. The sheriff’s office tied the arrest to incident number MCSO26CAD090548 and offense number MCSO26OFF004134.

The victim was taken to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier and later placed with a family member. The case remained active later Sunday, and the sheriff’s office said additional charges were still possible as detectives continued to review evidence from the Key Largo home and the counterfeit bills found there. For Monroe County, the arrest raised the kind of urgent questions that follow any case involving a child, a private home and a public-safety response: who saw warning signs, what protection failed, and how quickly authorities can intervene before a hostage call turns into something worse.