Search Underway For Suspect In Abduction And Sexual Assault

Friday, September 21st 2007, 9:59 am

By: News On 6

The man who kidnapped a 5-year-old Broken Arrow girl from the front yard of her home and sexually assaulted her is the object of an intense manhunt by Broken Arrow Police. So far, police have little to go on. News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports the girl was taken Thursday evening in what Broken Arrow Police call a "snatch and go" abduction. That is where a pedophile sees an opportunity, for example, a girl playing in a yard, takes her and violates her. The good news, the 5-year-old girl is alive and in a hospital.

She's still in the hospital tonight, recovering from surgery.

The victim was found about 8 miles away from where she was abducted in Broken Arrow, naked, barefoot and bleeding. Broken Arrow Police want to find the man who kidnapped and brutally sexually assaulted the girl before he can strike again.

Police say it all started in the 500 block of East Galveston Drive at around 6:40 p.m. on Thursday. The girl was playing in her homeâ€™s front yard and then she was gone, Broken Arrow Police Major Mark Irwin said.

James Moore lives a couple doors down and is shocked.

"I can't believe it yet. Like I said, in 49 years, nothing like that has ever happened in this neighborhood," said concerned neighbor James Moore.

Wagoner County residents, eight miles away, found the 5-year-old girl walking in the road, bleeding and terrified said Broken Arrow Police Major Mark Irwin. Police officers did a thorough grid search along the road just west of 257th East Avenue (Midway) on 51st Street (Omaha), looking for additional evidence. The girl was found at the end of a dead end road. Her clothes were found nearby. The clothes looked like they had been thrown out of a moving vehicle, said Broken Arrow Police Major Mark Irwin.

Donna Fisher lives nearby and has her own 5-year-old daughter, who also plays in the front yard. Fisher says she will not let her daughter play in the yard for now and must decide the best way to explain why.

"It was a big deal to get her brave enough to go to kindergarten. Now, we can't let her play outside because there's a bad guy in the area. It's a balance, how to keep them safe, but not give them nightmares," says Donna Fisher.

Broken Arrow Police left yellow flyers at homes on East Galveston Drive where the 5-year-old was abducted, hoping neighbors may have seen something odd or suspicious that can help officers catch the suspect. Detectives worked overnight Thursday and won't quit, Broken Arrow Police Major Mark Irwin said.

"It's very difficult, especially for detectives with children. It's hard not to think about your own when investigating a case like this," said Major Mark Irwin.

The girls' clothes have been sent to a crime lab for processing.

Broken Arrow Police conducted an interview with the girl Friday morning to try to get additional information about the suspect. A white man in a white vehicle is what a possible witness told Broken Arrow Police.

Police hope to conduct a forensic interview of the girl soon to get additional information about the suspect. All they have now from a possible witness is a white man in a white vehicle. The girls' clothes have ben sent to a lab for processing. Anyone with information should call Broken Arrow Police at 918-259-8400.

Watch the video: 5 Year Old Kidnapped And Raped

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9/21/2007 Neighbors In Shock After Five Year Old Kidnapped And Raped