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Nery Antonio Gonzalez

Nery Antonio Gonzalez, 36, is a citizen of Guatemala. He is in the United States as an undocumented immigrant.

Gonzalez lived in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, USA. Over around four years, he had allegedly sexually assaulted four different children, all under the age of 14, in various locations throughout Valdosta city limits.

On February 27, 2025, two of the children disclosed to a family member that Gonzalez had inappropriately touched them. He was known to the children.

The family member reported the allegations to the Valdosta Police Department, which started an investigation. Detectives found two more victims after conducting numerous interviews.

On March 14, 2025, the detectives obtained arrest warrants for Gonzalez. The department’s patrol officers and members of its power squad found him at his residence in Valdosta and took him into custody.

After arresting Gonzalez, the detectives continued to investigate the accusations against him. On March 19, 2025, they obtained additional arrest warrants for the Guatemalan man.

Gonzalez was booked into the Lowndes County Jail in Valdosta. He was charged with two counts of aggravated child molestations, three counts of cruelty to a child in the first degree, three counts of rape, four counts of aggravated sexual battery-felony, four counts of sexual battery on a child under the age of 16 and five counts of child molestation.

Leslie Manahan

The Valdosta Police Department has yet to release Gonzalez’s mugshot. The department’s chief Leslie Manahan stated, “There are no words to describe the heartbreak of the trauma that these children faced and will live with for the rest of their lives.”

“I am thankful that two of these victims were brave enough to let someone know, which resulted in the arrest of this predator,” Manahan continued. “This was great teamwork between our agency and our community partners, to ensure these victims do not have to see this monster again.”

Originally from Marietta, Georgia, Manahan moved to Valdosta in 1990. In 1994, she graduated from Valdosta State University with a baschelor’s degree in education.

In 1997, Manahan joined the Valdosta Police Department as a patrol officer. In 2013, she was appointed commander of the department’s investigations bureau.

On September 1, 2018, Manahan became the interim chief of the department. She officially became the chief on March 1, 2019.