In a post that would set any parent’s heart on edge, the Kansas Highway Patrol announced that one of its troopers had, during what should have been a routine traffic stop, discovered a kindergarten-aged girl who had been kidnapped. Reacting quickly to the shocking discovery, the trooper managed to rescue the girl and take the two sick men who were holding her in their SUV into custody.
The story, which was announced by the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) on its Facebook page during the evening on Saturday, March 22, quickly exploded online and led to an outpouring of support for the trooper and his patrol, with many comments on the post reflecting public support for officers who put themselves in harm’s way to save innocents, such as the young girl, from evildoers.
The KHP began the stomach-churning post by noting that it was only by chance that the trooper discovered the kidnapped young girl, as he pulled over the SUV for a routine traffic violation rather than in suspicion that it contained the kidnapped 6-year-old. Explaining as much, the KHP’s post said, “A trooper with the Kansas Highway Patrol assigned to our criminal interdiction unit, stopped an SUV for a traffic violation.”
Continuing, it noted that the passenger in the car was discovered to be a kidnapping suspect, and that the trooper glimpsed the little girl in the car, noting that she was the same age as a child kidnapped a month earlier. It explained, “During the traffic stop, it was discovered that the front seat passenger had a warrant for his arrest from another state for kidnapping a 6-year-old girl just over a month prior. The trooper had observed a girl about that age in the vehicle with the two adult male occupants, both of whom were in their 60’s.”
Further, it noted that the driver of the SUV was discovered to be a serious felon, leading to the trooper and a sheriff’s deputy acting quickly to secure the two suspects and save the little girl. The post provided, “The driver had a criminal history to include homicide and numerous weapons violations over the years. After the trooper and a deputy from a local sheriff’s office quickly secured both the driver and passenger, the trooper safely removed the little girl from the vehicle.”
Horribly, the girl had apparently been coached by the two kidnappers to lie about her name and age, but eventually, the police were able to discover her real name and find that she was the girl kidnapped a month ago. The post said, “This 6-year-old girl gave the trooper a false name and date of birth, after having been coached to do so, in an attempt to keep the adult out of jail. Ultimately, our trooper calmed the girl down and got her to tell him her real name. She was the kidnapping victim, who had been with this suspect for over a month on the run. Thankfully the girl was unharmed, and the men were taken into custody.”
A later update to the post thanked everyone who had shown support for the KHP in the wake of the incident’s announcement and virality, but also noted that no more details could be provided so that the young girl could be protected and the case investigated properly. That update began, “UPDATE: Thank you for the outpouring of support for the Kansas Highway Patrol and for the trooper involved. This is an incredible story that highlights the unpredictable nature of a trooper’s job and the real impact they can have on people’s lives.”
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It then added, noting that further details would not be forthcoming, for now, “We have received many requests for more details of the stop. Unfortunately, we are unable to release any further details of this incident so that we can continue to protect the identity of the child and integrity of open cases. We appreciate your understanding as we continue our investigation.”