MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — An Arkansas man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a six-year-old girl.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the investigation began after the young girl was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Feb. 2018 with symptoms later determined to be caused by several sexually transmitted diseases.

During an interview with an FBI investigator, the child said two men, later identified as DeMarcus George and Mario Waters, raped her.

She told investigators that it happened in a hotel room with a curtain in the middle of the room and described a picture that was hanging on the wall in the room. She said on at least one occasion, Waters raped her in the hotel room and paid George.

From there, authorities found a hotel room that matched the 6-year-old’s description, and financial records showed her mother rented the room in March 2018.

The child was taken from her mother’s custody.

Doctors at Arkansas Children’s Hospital determined it was unlikely that the STDs came from the same person and that there were likely multiple offenders. Blood and urine test results showed George and Waters tested positive for the same STDs the child had.

Both men were indicted in Sept. 2019 and pled guilty in Nov. 2021. They admitted they had sexual contact with the child and were involved in trafficking her with others.

Mario Waters was sentenced Wednesday. DeMarcus George was sentenced on October 25, 2022.