An arrest has reportedly been made in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl in Detroit.
A source on Thursday morning told Local 4 News that an arrest has been made after a young girl was abducted in Farmington Hills on Sunday and taken to a Detroit home where she was sexually assaulted. Farmington Hills police confirmed Thursday afternoon that a suspect has been arrested.
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Neither the source nor the police revealed the identity of the arrestee.
The case is being investigated by Detroit and Farmington Hills police departments, as well as the FBI. Farmington Hills police say more information regarding the arrest will be issued at an upcoming joint news conference, though a date and time were not yet provided.
“The safety of the victim, her family, and our community remain our top priority, along with the appropriate investigation and prosecution of the suspect,” Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King said Thursday.
Police say the 9-year-old girl left her home in Farmington Hills on her own free will on Sunday, Oct. 10 and walked around for hours, not knowing where she was. The girl reportedly stopped in the area of 8 Mile Road and Grand River Avenue, where a man pulled up to her and asked if she needed help. The girl got into the man’s car, and was unable to exit the car after realizing he was driving in the wrong direction, police said.
The man reportedly drove the girl to a house in Detroit, bound her and sexually assaulted her. Police believe the home is in the general area of 8 Mile Road and Berg Road.
The girl was able to escape from the man and was found walking outside wearing only a blanket by a Good Samaritan who called 911. She was taken to a children’s hospital, and is reportedly in good physical health, police said Wednesday. A missing persons report was filed on the young girl in Farmington Hills after she left home.
Detroit police on Tuesday released a photo of the suspect inside the suspected vehicle -- a white or gray Jeep Renegade, likely from 2015-2021. See a photo of the vehicle below. As of Wednesday, police were looking to speak with the driver of the vehicle in question.
It is unclear if the person who was arrested is the same person pictured.
According to our source, police were executing search warrants Thursday morning at three different locations.
No other information has been released at this time.
Stay with Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit as this story develops.
Previously: FBI assisting Detroit, Farmington Hills police with child abduction, sex assault investigation