10-year-old girl sexually assaulted by kidnapper in Detroit, found 3 hours later
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A 10-year-old girl was found over three hours after she was abducted by a stranger while walking home from school with a friend Wednesday afternoon.
Sources told FOX 2 that the girl was also sexually assaulted by the kidnapper, in his home off Braile Street near Fenkell Avenue in Detroit.
The two friends, both 10, were walking back from Gompers Elementary School on the city's west side when a 59-year-old man allegedly struck up a conversation with them, according to Detroit police. One girl went with the man, while the other continued walking home.
"I’m not surprised," said Wilma Butler, who has lived in the same Detroit neighborhood for 10 years – the same block the girl was abducted from. "It’s not safe for anybody. It's not safe for little boys to be by themselves, let alone a little girl."
She is not surprised because of the number of sex offenders in the area, Butler said.
"I found out there were around 117 sex offenders that had coerced children under the age of 13 between Fenkell and Grand River," she said.
The child’s friend told her parents they had been approached by the man. Police were then informed of the incident.
"It's very scary. Very scary. It's a mother's worst nightmare," said Amber Roberson, with Detroit police's Homicide Unit. "For us, it’s as if our kid didn't come home. That’s why the sense of urgency is so high."
Detroit police and Detroit public schools officers frantically searched the area, checking cameras and canvassing until they found the missing girl over three hours later.
The suspect was taken into custody.
The 10-year-old victim was taken to the hospital where she is expected to be OK, physically.
"It’s a terrible thing and I hope that she’ll be able to get over it," Butler, the neighbor, said.
At this point in the investigation, it is still unknown if the accused man is a registered sex offender or has a history of similar behavior.
Charges are expected.
