For months, beachside parents have been wondering what ever came of an October incident in which a 10-year-old girl reported being followed and offered a ride by two men while she was walking home from the bus stop in Lansing Island.
Unable to either clear or close the case due to lack of evidence, Indian Harbour Beach police are urging Lansing Island residents to continue vigilance and report anything they might remember of the attempted abduction.
The two men were reportedly driving a black pickup truck, but security camera footage supplied by Lansing Island with views of all vehicles going in and out failed to show a vehicle fitting the description during and around the time of the incident, said Indian Harbour Beach Police Chief David Butler. Entry logs from the guard house likewise offered no new information.
The report from a Lansing Island resident was that the men spoke to the girl and asked three times if she needed a ride about 3:15 p.m. as she walked from the bus stop west of the bridge to her home on Lansing Island Drive. It was reported that after briefly following alongside the girl, the vehicle did not continue traveling in the same direction, but possibly made a U-turn and exited Lansing Island.
The description: an older black, 2-door truck with dull paint. The passenger was a dark-skinned male, possibly Hispanic, wearing a dirty white T-shirt and sunglasses with orange or red trim. No facial hair or facial scars were observed. The male driver was possibly in his early 20s and spoke English without any dialect.
Officers responding to the scene made contact with individuals operating vehicles matching the description, but all contacts were verified and not considered suspects in the case. Patrols also were increased in the area.
With no other known video footage of the suspect’s vehicle, the investigation remains open but there is not much more for police to go on unless additional witnesses come forward, Butler said.
For more information or to report suspicious activity, call Indian Harbour Beach Police Department, Criminal Investigations Division, 321-773-3030.
