LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — One man is now hugging his two young daughters a little tighter when they're at home. When they're outside playing, he's on high alert, watching over them with anxious eyes.
A Liberty Township father asked to remain anonymous. He said an alleged kidnapper tried to lure his daughters away. He's worried if his face and name are publicized, his daughters could be at further risk.
"A blue car approached them and rolled his windows down and said something along the line of, 'I have some snacks and candy. Do you guys want some?' and he was trying to coax them into the car," the father said. "My 11-year-old grabbed my 7-year-old's hand and said, 'run.'"
He said the attempted abduction happened Memorial Day weekend inside the Kyles Station Meadows subdivision, not far from his home. He said his daughters were walking down the sidewalk.
After his daughters started to run back to their home, he said the man started to reverse after them, but then locked eyes with a woman standing across the street.
"He stopped chasing them and then fled off," the father said.
WCPO 9 received the 911 call placed by the girls' mother just minutes after the alleged incident. She sounded shaken while relaying information to the dispatcher.
"They came in like, screaming...Lord have mercy, I'm sorry," their mother said.
While she stayed on the line with the girls back safe inside the home, her husband said he and their son got in the car to look for the man.
"And I would imagine any parent — that's the first thing you would want to do is spring into action before you even start calling people and alerting authorities," he said. "You want to go address it on your own."
He said he wasn't able to find the man who allegedly tried taking his daughters, nor was the responding deputy.
In an incident report obtained by WCPO 9, the officer wrote: "I searched the neighborhood and was unable to locate a vehicle matching the description given. I also conducted multiple extra patrols in the neighborhood. While on my extra patrols, when I observed other young children outside playing I made contact with the parents and advised them of the incident and asked them to notify other parents in the neighborhood."
The deputy also wrote that he was unable to locate the woman who allegedly locked eyes with the man for a statement, and she had not called in to make a report if she witnessed it.
While the girls were unable to note the man's license plate, they were able to describe him and his car, their father said.
The girls said the man is white with long brown hair. He was driving a dark blue Kia sedan.
Just days after the girls' mother shared the story online, another mom in a nearby neighborhood shared her own concerns.
She told WCPO 9 she's been spotting what she describes as a suspicious-looking white van filled with several adults slowly driving past her house and down neighboring streets.
She said the adults will watch children playing outside, her kids included, while pointing. She shared a video of the van filmed from her next-door neighbor's doorbell camera. She said the van has two different license plates on the front and back, both of which she noted and reported to authorities.
The Butler County Sheriff's Office said two sets of plates can often be a sign of a stolen vehicle. A BCSO employee confirmed with WCPO 9 on Friday that they have increased patrols in that neighborhood since the van was reported.
As for the alleged Memorial Day attempted abduction, BCSO hasn't located the suspect yet.
In a secondary incident report, another deputy said he left his business card with the family and told them to call him if they learned any new information or got video of the car.
"Deputies remained in the area doing extra patrols and I notified night shift of the incident," the other deputy wrote. "I informed the juveniles they did exactly what they should if an incident happens like this and run home whenever a stranger tries to speak with them if they feel uncomfortable."
While the girls' father remains on high alert, he said he wants to share a message with other parents so hopefully they don't have to live through the same nightmare he did.
"Teach your kids," he said. "If anybody's asking you something like that and the don't look familiar at all, you do not talk to them. You do not approach them. You go the opposite direction. I'm happy that my daughters did just that."
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