3/20/09 GRAND RAPIDS MI(No Child Reported Missing/Canceled)unknown girl 6-8 years old

[lost indie]

A witness saw a little African American girl pulled into a green van this morning. The girl was wearing a coat with "Phat Farm" written on it and she had a ponytail. The suspects are two African American males.

News conference at 3:00

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/Possible_abduction_of_GR_girl

[lost indie]

Updated: Friday, 20 Mar 2009, 2:12 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 20 Mar 2009, 11:42 AM EDT

* Henry Erb

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - An Amber Alert was issued for a Grand Rapids girl who was possibly abducted around 9:45 a.m. Friday on Kalamazoo Avenue SE near Gibson SE.

A 3 p.m. news conference is scheduled, and will be carried live on WOOD TV8 and streamed on woodtv.com Police remain concerned because a witness gave chase and said the van in question sped away in an alley.

The victim is a small black girl between 6-8 years old, wearing a black jacket with a PHAT FARM logo on it. She has a pony tail.

The suspects are described as two black men in a dark green full size GMC van with tinted windows and a spare tire on the back of the van. The vehicle did not have a license plate. The front seat driver and passenger windows are not tinted.

The suspect that pulled the missing girl into the van is described as a black man with a heavy build, a large bushy beard, wearing black clothing and a black hat.

The vehicle was last seen headed east in the alley between Prince and Watkins near Fuller SE.

Police have accounted for all the children in the nearby schools. And they have not received any information about any missing children

24 Hour News 8 will have more information as soon as possible.


* Comments

Share your opinions responsibly

[Roamer]

There was a scam a few months ago saying the same thing.

I hope this is one, too, and there is no little girl missing.

[lost indie]

There was a scam a few months ago saying the same thing.

I hope this is one, too, and there is no little girl missing.

I know. But then there was the little Esther girl yesterday. No one noticed she was missing for 17 hours. The Grand Rapids police are taking this very seriously...as they should.

[packy]

I do hope they find the van if it is true.

[sarahhod]

Praying she is safe.:innocent0001::innocent0001:

[Faith]

Missing From: Grand Rapids, MI
Missing Date: 03/20/2009 9:57 AM
Issued for: Michigan: Statewide
Contact: If you have information, please contact Grand Rapids Police Department, 616-456-3404, 911
Circumstances: A 7 year-old black female was allegedly pulled into a van by two black males, on southbound Kalamzoo Ave SE near Gibson SE in Grand Rapids. They are in a full size, green colored GMC van with a spare tire on the back. The windows of the van were tinted with the exception of the front side windows.

Missing Child
Name: Unknown Unknown
Alias:
Hair Color: Blk Eye Color:
Skin Color: Blk Age: 7
Height: Weight:
Gender: Female
Description: Small stature, hair in a pony tail, black Phat Farm jacket on back



Suspect
Name: Unknown Unknown
Alias:
Hair Color: Eye Color:
Skin Color: Blk Age:
Height: Weight:
Gender: Male
Description: Heavy build, large bushy beard, black clothing and a black hat

Vehicle Information
Make: GMC Model: Full size van
Color: Grn Interior Color:
License State: License Text:
Vehicle Description: Spare time on back, windows were tinted except the front side windows


http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/AmberServlet

[Faith]

Police continue search for girl believed to be abducted
Comments 0 | Recommend 0
March 20, 2009 - 9:59 PM



GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - There are many questions Friday night about an Amber Alert out of Grand Rapids.



Police still aren't sure who they're looking for, as no one has reported their child as missing.



Police in Grand Rapids got a call just before 10:00 am Friday morning. Several witnesses say they saw a man jump out of a van, grab the girl, toss her into the van and take off.



The incident took place on Kalamazoo Avenue SE near Gibson, that's on the south east side of Grand Rapids.



Witnesses say the little girl is black, and between the ages of six and eight. At the time of the abduction her hair was in a ponytail and she wore a black jacket with a 'Phat Farm' logo on the back.



Parents in the neighborhood have been high alert all day long, and the tension has only increased with every hour that passes with no word.



Police are saying that a credible witness told them that the girl was snatched right off the street in broad daylight.



"The suspect reportedly got out, grabbed the child then physically carried the child back into the van," said Lt. Ralph Mason of the Grand Rapids Police Department.



The story is quite literally close to home for Tiffany Arnett and her newborn daughter.



"Gibson and Kalamazoo are kitty-corner from my house," said Arnett, "and for it to be that close to where I live, it's a little scary."



Despite Amber Alerts running all day long, no one has reported a missing child. Children at nearby schools are all accounted for, and police say this may all just be a misunderstanding.



"There's always the possibility that a parent grabbed the child for whatever reason, and now is too scared to come forward," said Lt. Mason.



However, if it is a misunderstanding, police still need those parents or guardians, because for police and parents like Arnett, not knowing what happened is just as bad.



"There are a lot of children in this area," said Arnett, "there's a school directly behind our house, and it's a little nerve racking because we don't know what's going on."



To resolve the situation, the Grand Rapids Police Department is working with the FBI and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A Child is Missing (dot) org is helping out by blanketing the neighborhood with more than 1,600 automated phone calls to alert people of the missing child. That group helped recover more than 100 missing children in 2008, but so far no luck in this case.



Grand Rapids Police say the best case scenario is that this is all just a misunderstanding, but if that is the case they need the people involved to come forward and clear the air.



The witnesses to the abduction did get a description of the kidnapper. The man is described as black with a large build, he was wearing a hat at the time, and sported a bushy beard. Witnesses say another black man was driving the van.



The van is a full-size, GM conversion van with tinted windows and a spare tire on the back. The van was notable for not having a license plate.



Anyone with information that could help police find the missing girl is asked to call 911 or contact the Grand Rapids Police Department at 616-456-3404.


http://www.wwmt.com/articles/grand_1360461___article.html/rapids_search.html

[AmyE]

I just wonder if she had been abducted somewhere else and escaped and they abducted her once again.

[nomadpatti]

I just wonder if she had been abducted somewhere else and escaped and they abducted her once again.

That is a really great thought since they said all local children were accounted for.

[annalyzer]

From above link, "The suspect reportedly got out, grabbed the child then physically carried the child back into the van," said Lt. Ralph Mason of the Grand Rapids Police Department."

I wonder did the child act like she was being abducted? Did she scream or kick her legs for example?

[Trailblazer]

Could it have been the childs father?

[TigressPen]

This is troubling. You'd think if this was a child out when they weren't suppose to be and a parent found them and took them home, those parents would contact LE. Something happened to a child for sure because the articles state witnesses - I wish someone had gotten a tag number. :(

[annalyzer]

This is troubling. You'd think if this was a child out when they weren't suppose to be and a parent found them and took them home, those parents would contact LE. Something happened to a child for sure because the articles state witnesses - I wish someone had gotten a tag number. :(


Yes but you'd also think that if a parent had a child that young missing since yesterday that they would contact LE.

[packy]

I wonder if how much it's being posted in the local news there. If it was a family member who found her wandering or something they may not have seen the news.

[AmyE]

I found these girls on the missing kids database by race and age range.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=13823&orgPrefix=USNY&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=13987&orgPrefix=USNY&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

[Aubrey]

From above link, "The suspect reportedly got out, grabbed the child then physically carried the child back into the van," said Lt. Ralph Mason of the Grand Rapids Police Department."

I wonder did the child act like she was being abducted? Did she scream or kick her legs for example?



A passenger in the van got out and grabbed a girl walking on the sidewalk, described as black and 6 or 7 years old, and forcibly put her in the van as she screamed "no, no." The van pulled back onto Kalamazoo Avenue and sped away north, with the witness chasing the van.

Mason said the witness, whom he did not identify, lost the fast-moving van several blocks away in an alley between Watkins and Prince streets near Martin Luther King Park. He believed the driver was trying to evade him. "The witness actually followed the vehicle for some time, but was not able to keep up with it," he said.

The witness then stopped a police officer at Division Avenue and Hall Street to report the incident.

Mason acknowledged that it is possible an angry parent may have grabbed his own child. He asked any parent who may have done that to call police at 456-3604 so police can cancel the alert.

Link:http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapi...stigating.html


Little girl was screaming NO, NO... It sure sounds like an abduction, but why hasn't anyone reported a missing child? I'm praying it's just a misunderstanding & that it was actually her father or family member who has her.

[lost indie]

This is troubling. You'd think if this was a child out when they weren't suppose to be and a parent found them and took them home, those parents would contact LE. Something happened to a child for sure because the articles state witnesses - I wish someone had gotten a tag number. :(

There was no tag number.

[Aubrey]

Amber Alert remains in effect in possible Grand Rapids abduction; no child has been reported missing.
by The Grand Rapids Press

Saturday March 21, 2009, 4:34 PM

GRAND RAPIDS -- Police say an Amber Alert remains in effect, but no parent has called to report a missing child.

Police issued the alert Friday around 9:45 a.m. after a motorist on Kalamazoo Avenue SE reported driving behind a van, then seeing the van stop suddenly and a passenger jump out, grab a girl on the sidewalk and forcibly put her into the vehicle.


Lt. Lawrence Frye said today no one has told police about a missing child, but also no one has called to say he was the driver of the van -- a full-sized, metallic green GMC driven by a male -- and the witness misunderstood the situation.

Frye said the decision to lift or continue with the alert sits with the detective bureau.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/03/amber_alert_remains_in_effect.html#more

[packy]

The witness followed the van and did not see a plate so that does sound fishy. I wonder if someone has taken someone's child for some kind of payment or money owed etc. and a family is afraid to call the police. Hope neighbors look around and see if they notice any family with a child who seems to be absent.

[AmyE]

After 24 hours, Grand Rapids Police cancel the Amber Alert of a young girl.

GRAND RAPIDS -- Friday we reported an Amber Alert for a missing Grand Rapids girl, after a witness reported seeing the child being forced into a van.

The Grand Rapids Police department is now cancelling that Amber Alert.

Police say they still do not have a victim and have not received a missing child's report in over 24 hours.

So at this point, that Amber Alert has been cancelled.

http://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=276597

[TigressPen]

After 24 hours, Grand Rapids Police cancel the Amber Alert of a young girl.

GRAND RAPIDS -- Friday we reported an Amber Alert for a missing Grand Rapids girl, after a witness reported seeing the child being forced into a van.

The Grand Rapids Police department is now cancelling that Amber Alert.

Police say they still do not have a victim and have not received a missing child's report in over 24 hours.

So at this point, that Amber Alert has been cancelled.

http://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=276597


I can understand the reasoning for cancelling the alert but I am really concerned about a child screaming NO, NO. :(

[Nut44x4]

There was a scam a few months ago saying the same thing.

I hope this is one, too, and there is no little girl missing.

I also wondered that....

FEB. 2009 in Michigan>> Amber Alert Hoax

http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,1607,7-123-1586-208713--,00.html

[killerqueen]

People really have nothing better to do with their time than to make fake child abduction reports? That should be a punishable offense, IMO.

[emmeblu]

People really have nothing better to do with their time than to make fake child abduction reports? That should be a punishable offense, IMO.


I could not agree more!

Of course, if the hoax was on the end where someone staged pulling a kid in a van then they are the ones to catch!!
If I saw something like that, I would report it as well and would not want to fear being arrested if it wasn't for real.

Guess when it comes to children, one just has to take the chance. Report suspicious behavior.
MOO

[Naia]

Im confused, are these children missing or not?

[Nut44x4]

no