Crime & Safety

Witness: Abducted Boy Was Screaming When Pulled into Van

An alert was issued at 4:30 p.m. July 4 that a boy was reported abducted in Spotsylvania County.

The FBI, Virginia State Police and the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office are asking for the public’s help finding a young boy who a witness said was kicking and screaming while being forced into a van on the Fourth of July.

At 1:40 p.m. Thursday, the Spotsylvania County 911 center received a call from a witness reporting an abduction in progress at Holleybrooke Drive in the county, said Capt. Jeff Pearce of the Sheriff's Office.

The woman said she saw a blue work van with primer repair spots stop next to a child walking along the street. The passenger in the van exited the vehicle, grabbed the child and forced him into the van, Pearce said. 

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The van sped away with the boy inside it, the witness told police.

"Although we've not yet had a report of a missing child, we are erring on the side of caution because of the eye witness report," Pearce said, adding that it's possible the boy may not yet be noticed as missing because of holiday activities.

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He said law enforcement officers have conducted more than 500 interviews of possible witnesses.

"If this was a parent having to corral an unruly child, it's okay," Pearce said. "Call in and let us know so that we can verify that information and bring this to a good conclusion."

The boy was described as white, slender, about 12 years old, about 5-foot-2 and 70 to 80 pounds with light brown hair. He was wearing a red-and-white horizontally striped pullover shirt with dark blue cargo shorts.

The boy had been seen riding a black bike earlier in the day, and was walking the bike because it had a flat rear tire.

The witness described the suspect as white or Hispanic, about 5-foot-10 and 180 to 200 pounds. He was wearing a black tanktop shirt and dark cargo-type painters pants. The pants were dirty and stained.

The vehicle was described as medium-blue with two doors on the back that swing open. The left door has a tinted window and a decal on the bottom of the door.  The right door does not have a window, but has a "rather large primer spot," Pearce said.

The Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office has established a 24-hour hotline at 540-507-7200.

Virginia State Police have assisted with troopers and helicopters. Bloodhounds were brought in, but found nothing, Pearce said.

Virginia State Police and the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse have issued an endangered missing child alert.

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