A 15-year-old girl who was kidnapped at knifepoint on Christmas Day in Texas was rescued after her father used his phone’s tracking features to locate her, authorities said.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded to a kidnapping call in Porter, Texas, at around 4:50 p.m. on Dec. 25. Investigators learned that the teenager had taken her dog for a walk earlier in the day but failed to return home at her usual time, prompting growing concern from her parents.
Using parental control settings, the girl’s father tracked her phone and discovered it had last pinged in a partially wooded area of Harris County, nearly two miles from their home. Acting quickly, the father went to the location himself.
When he arrived, he found his daughter and her dog inside a maroon pickup truck with a 23-year-old man who was partially nude, according to authorities. The father intervened, helped his daughter escape from the vehicle and immediately contacted law enforcement.
Investigators later determined that the suspect had threatened the teen with a knife and forcibly abducted her from the street while she was walking her dog. Witnesses provided deputies with a detailed description of the pickup truck, which helped law enforcement quickly locate and identify the suspect.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Giovanni Rosales Espinoza, 23, of Porter, Texas. Detectives from the major crimes unit responded and took over the investigation.
Espinoza was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child. As of Dec. 26, he remained in custody at the Montgomery County Jail without bond.
“Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child,” Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said in a statement. He praised deputies and detectives for their rapid response, adding that the suspect was swiftly apprehended and removed from the community.
The family of the teenager, who asked to remain anonymous, told local station KHOU11 that they were grateful she was found alive and was recovering safely at home. They said none of them knew the suspect prior to the incident.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing.