Police in Tennessee charged a 19-year-old man in with abducting a 7-year-old girl from her bed and carrying her away, before returning weeks later.
Jeremiah Smith was arrested last week and faces charges of especially aggravated kidnapping, according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime.
Memphis Police officers received a call about a child abduction at an apartment complex on Johnson Avenue on November 6. The victim’s mother informed the officers that her daughter claimed someone had taken her from her bed and brought her outside.
Action News 5 reports that police talked to the child, who provided a description of the man and his outfit.
The man entered the girl’s room, covered her mouth, and took her to the basketball court at the apartment complex. Despite being held by him, she managed to escape twice and ran back home.
Investigators noted that surveillance footage from the area captured the incident, matching the victim’s description.
On November 24, the police revisited the apartment complex after viewing security footage that revealed the suspect, wearing similar attire, hanging around the back door of the family’s apartment at approximately 5:40 a.m.
A neighbor reported to officers that the suspect approached him asking for a cigarette and claiming his aunt lived next door. The neighbor, familiar with the residents, suspected the defendant was lying.
The neighbor later identified Smith as the man he saw lurking, during a six-person lineup.
Smith remains behind bars on a $150,000 bond. He’s due in court on January 15.
[Feature Photo via Memphis police]
