USA
Piece of paper with a call for help saves a kidnapped 13-year-old
“Help me”: The girl held up this piece of paper from the car. photo
© US Department of Justice/AP/dpa
Incredible rescue after kidnapping drama: In California, a 13-year-old was freed after three days in captivity – thanks to a passer-by.
A kidnapped girl in California has been rescued three days after the 13-year-old girl held up a piece of paper that read “Help me” in her kidnapper’s car.
A passer-by saw her in the parked car and called 911, police said in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles. The car had stopped in front of a laundromat where the girl’s alleged kidnapper had been washing clothes.
The 61-year-old is said to have threatened the girl with a gun on July 6 in San Antonio, Texas, more than 2,000 kilometers away and forced her into the car. The child was freed three days later. Two sexual assaults are said to have occurred during the kidnapping, prosecutors said.