YOU NEED TO KNOW
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A Texas father tracked down his kidnapped 15-year-old daughter by using her phone’s location through parental controls, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
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The Police said that “the suspect had threatened the victim with a knife and kidnapped her from the street”
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Giovanni Rosales Espinoza, 23, was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child.
A kidnapped teen was saved thanks to her father’s quick thinking.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) shared on Facebook that deputies responded to a report of a “kidnapping of a 15-year-old female” in Porter, Texas, around 4:50 pm on December 25th.
The investigators learned that the young woman “had taken her dog out for a walk and when she did not return at the usual time,” her parents were concerned. Her father then used parental controls to locate his daughter’s phone, which he had left in a “partly wooded area in Harris County almost 2 miles away.”
The father was able to locate his daughter via phone and found her and the dog inside a “maroon pickup truck” with a “partially naked 23-year-old man,” according to MCSO. He then helped his daughter escape from the truck and contacted law enforcement.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
Giovanni Rosales Espinoza
“Investigations revealed that the suspect had threatened the victim with a knife and grabbed her from the street,” MCSO said.
People who witnessed the accident gave a detailed description of the truck, which helped deputies locate and identify the suspect in the accident. MCSO identified the suspect as 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza of Porter.
Detectives with the MCSO’s major crimes unit responded to the scene.
Espinosa was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child, MCSO noted. As of December 26, he remained in custody at the Montgomery County Jail without bond.
“Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to destroy that joy by targeting a child,” Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said in a statement. “I am incredibly proud of our deputies and detectives who worked tirelessly to ensure that this dangerous predator was caught quickly and is now off our streets.”
“Rest assured that your Sheriff’s Office remains vigilant every hour of every day to keep your families safe,” he added.
The family of the kidnapped teenager, who asked to remain anonymous, told KHOU11 they were thankful the teenager was safe and back home recovering. They also noted that none of the relatives knew the suspect.
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The incident remains under investigation, MCSO said.
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