Officers at the Mount Vernon Police Department released additional details today regarding the theft of a car with a 12-year-old girl inside that occurred on the 1100 block of Riverside Drive in Mount Vernon Feb. 18.
The suspect is still at large, but investigators are using images of a man matching his description to aid in their search. The photos were taken from the security camera of a local bus that arrived near the scene of the incident.
Police have upgraded the crime from theft to kidnapping after further investigation revealed the suspect drove around with the child inside for an undisclosed amount of time before dropping her off at an unidentified apartment complex, possibly in Burlington.
There, the child sought help from an unknown good Samaritan who returned her to Mount Vernon where the police found her. The man who dropped her off was described as a 35 to 40-year-old man with short hair. He drove a dark-colored truck that might have had a gray sign on the back. Police are still trying to identify this man.
The stolen vehicle was abandoned in a residential area near Riverside Drive and East Fir streets and located by police Feb. 19. The Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team submitted evidence found in the car to the state crime lab after processing the vehicle.
The suspect is still described as a slender male in his 20s with short or shaved hair. He was reported to be wearing glasses, a dark hoodie, jeans and white tennis shoes.
Police are seeking the public’s help to identify the suspect and good Samaritan.
The Mount Vernon Police Department is continuing to investigate.
Anyone with information that might assist in this investigation can call police dispatch at 360-428-3211 or Mount Vernon Police Department at 360-336-627.
