National

Six-year-old nearly abducted walking home from church with mother on Mother’s Day

Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on May 16, 2023

(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) — A 6-year-old girl was nearly abducted after walking home from church with her mother on Mother’s Day, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

Authorities responded at around noon on Sunday to reports of an attempted abduction in Daytona Beach, Florida, police said in a press release.

The 6-year-old and her mother were walking home hand-in-hand from Our Lady of Lourdes Church when a woman blocked them from moving any further, according to an incident report obtained by ABC News affiliate WFTV.

The woman then “intentionally grabbed” the 6-year-old, trying to break the grip between her and her mother, the report said. Ultimately unsuccessful, the suspect fled. The child and her mother were uninjured from the incident, according to the report. The suspect remained at large, police said.

Daytona Beach Police have described the suspect as a Black female between 25 and 35, who is approximately 5′ 6” to 5′ 8” tall and who was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt and a red skirt.

“Maybe you’re afraid, maybe it was Mother’s Day (and) you don’t have a child, I don’t know,” Kelly Grange, father of the 6-year-old, told WFTV. “I encourage you to turn yourself in, reach out and get some help.”