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Release Number: 09-242  ( 09-243)

For Immediate Release

Public Information Office

September 3, 2009  

Debbie Carter: dcarter@hcso.tampa.fl.us

(813) 247-8060

 

 

Who:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update at 10:00 p.m. -  At approximately 10:00 p.m. this evening, the 17 year old female admitted to detectives that she had fabricated the entire story and that the injury to her forehead was self inflicted.  She has been referred for counseling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victim:  17 year old female

 

Suspect:  white male, 40 – 50 years of age, blonde/gray hair, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans.

 

Vehicle:  Older white  unknown make or model vehicle (four door) with tan interior
What:

Kidnapping
When:

September 3, 2009 at approximately 11:25 a.m.
Where:

 

Lake Chase Condominiums

9494 Lake Chase Island Way

Why/How:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At approximately 11:25  a.m.  this morning, the parents arrived at the residence and discovered their 17 year old daughter missing.  According to one of the parents they had spoken to her at approximately 10:45 a.m. and she was fine. The 17 year old had stayed home from school today with her parent’s permission.  When they arrived home at 11:25 she was missing and her cell phone along with other items that she would have taken with her were still at the residence.   The parents were immediately alarmed and called the Sheriff’s Office to report her missing.  Within minutes, deputies as well as K-9 and aviation had saturated the area.  The victim was discovered walking out of the wooded area on the north side of the complex. 

 

Early in the investigation the victim stated to detectives that she was home alone, when she exited the kitchen, she was confronted by the suspect at the top of the stairs, inside the living area.  According to the victim, she had seen the suspect in the neighborhood before and on two occasions they had had a casual conversation. According to the victim she knows him by the name of “Jeff”.   She then asked him to leave and she began escorting him down the stairs and out the front door.  While escorting him out, he struck her with an unknown object causing a minor laceration to her forehead.   He then forced her out of the residence and placed her in an older model white four door vehicle and drove to the north side of the complex where he forced her out of the vehicle and into the wooded area.  Once in the woods he began forcing her to disrobe.  As she began to remove her clothing the Sheriff’s Office helicopter flew overhead which startled the suspect and he took off running.  The victim grabbed her clothing and ran in the opposite direction.  The victim told detectives she got lost in the woods  for approximately 1 hour and finally found her way out,  where she was discovered by a person who assisted by driving her back to her residence.  We are not releasing the name of that person as they are being considered a witness. 

 

Anyone with any information reference the suspect or the suspect vehicle is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at        1-800-874-8477.