Search Goes On For Child Rapist

It was six months ago on Thursday that a five-year-old girl was kidnapped from her front yard and raped.

Thursday, March 20th 2008, 7:32 pm

By: News On 6


It was six months ago on Thursday that a five-year-old girl was kidnapped from her front yard and raped.  Despite a tremendous effort by police and the community, no one has been arrested.  The News On 6's crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports some wonder why the investigation is taking so long.

Broken Arrow Police are haunted by the face depicted in a police sketch of the suspect.  They are obsessed with finding him, because he took a little girl from her home last fall, raped her, and then dumped her eight miles away, alone, naked, crying and bleeding.

The fact a massive investigation hasn't led to the suspect is very hard for detectives to swallow.

"The citizens of our communities want us to catch the bad guys. I, myself, sometimes feel helpless because we're no closer than the night it happened," said Broken Arrow Police Captain Carol Newell.

Police have received as many as 1,800 tips about people resembling the sketch that was created by the little girl and a forensic artist.  Checking that many tips is not a fast process; you must meet the man face to face, check out his car, verify an alibi with either paperwork or witnesses.  It all takes time and legwork.

For the innocent, being named is terrible, but police say most have been understanding.

"Most of the guys we contact have been, I didn't do it, but take my picture, look at my car, do whatever you want to do," said Broken Arrow Police Captain Carol Newell.

BAPD has asked for help from other city departments and the FBI.  They have even tracked tips to as far away as North Carolina.  Because the victim is so young, information is coming out slowly.  They learned something new about the kidnapper's MO only a month ago.

They say they are relentless in their pursuit of the man because this is not the type of case they can leave at the office.

"This is something that reaches everybody's hearts. Just because we're officers, we're not immune to that kind of, of pain," said Broken Arrow Police Captain Carol Newell.

While police feel confident about the sketch, they wouldn't be surprised at all if the man has changed his looks and gotten a different car.

They welcome any tips that might point them to the suspect.  The reward fund is at more than $100,000 for the information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information can call the Broken Arrow Police Department at 259-1111.

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