NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police are searching for a man who abducted a 10-year-old girl and made a sexual advance before dropping her off at school in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Miami-Dade Police released a composite sketch of the subject who, they said, targeted the child on Monday, at around 7 a.m.
#WANTED: We are investigating an abduction of a 10 yr old from NW Miami-Dade. We need your help identifying the individual in the composite sketch who was last seen wearing green pajama pants and a white shirt. Know something? Contact ☎️ @MDCrimeStoppers at (305) 471-TIPS. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/C56mBRpi0j
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) February 13, 2018
Monday evening, investigators released surveillance video showing the man at a gas station mini-mart in North Miami where, they said, the subject stopped minutes after he took the girl.
“He’s 20 to 30, black male, beard, stocking cap-style headdress, possibly a gold tooth and last seen wearing green pajamas and a white shirt,” said Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta.
According to investigators, the child was waiting at a Miami-Dade Transit bus stop near Northwest 100th Street and 22nd Avenue when a man in a navy blue Kia Soul drove up and asked her if she wanted a ride to school.
Police said the girl agreed and got in the SUV.
Police said the man drove the girl to the Westar gas station at 1601 NW 119th St., where he made inappropriate sexual requests of the victim.
“He requested some sexual activity, and she refused his demands and demanded that he take her back to school,” said Zabaleta. “The subject stated that he did not want to hurt her, and he did take her back to school.”
Surveillance video at the station shows the man standing at the counter as he appears to make a purchase.
Police said he then dropped the girl off at Henry E.S. Reeves Elementary School, unharmed.
Parents and grandparents of students at the school are concerned the man remains at large.
“That’s sickening. That’s sickening, and I think they should put that guy away,” said one mother.
Area resident Thomas Car said students need to remain vigilant and use their best judgment. “Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t get in nobody’s car,” he said.
“Stranger danger, right? Everybody should know that, right?” said parent Travis Sands.
One man said he spoke to his children after he heard about the incident.
“We were watching the news, and we [saw] it together, and we had a discussion about not getting into cars with people and just being safe,” one father said.
If you have any information on this incident, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.