Tecumseh police report attempted kidnapping; 2nd town comes forward about suspicious 'black van'
A Facebook post by the Tecumseh Police Department about an attempted kidnapping sparked parents to reach out in a nearby town of a similar situation.
TECUMSEH, Okla. (KFOR) - A Facebook post by the Tecumseh Police Department about an attempted kidnapping sparked parents to reach out in a nearby town of a similar situation.
Tecumseh Police Chief JR Kidney said his investigators started looking into a report that came in about an attempted abduction Wednesday afternoon.
Kidney said a young girl was walking near the Braum’s on Rangeline Road in Tecumseh when two men in a black van or SUV with tinted windows pulled up and offered her candy.
"The guys made contact with her,” said Kidney. “One person got out."
That was when the girl ran to a nearby friend’s home and called her mother, who then called police.
Kidney said his units patrolled the area but never saw the vehicle.
The two men have been described as white males, one with a beard that had been braided and tied with a pink rubber band.
Kaylee Harris lived nearby and said she was walking her children to the park shortly after it happened. Her neighbor warned her about the black van and Harris said she turned around and headed back to the house with her two children.
"It made me have chills. I was really scared," said Harris.
Tecumseh Police posted about the incident on Facebook and shortly afterwards learned of a similar van that was spotted by parents in the town of Holdenville, 35 miles away. One parent said she had witnessed a black van or SUV multiple times over a two-week span parked in her neighborhood watching children.
"The stories are very similar. The vehicles are described as the same," said Kidney.
The woman in Holdenville shared a picture she had taken with Tecumseh police. Kidney said the young girl involved in the attempted kidnapping said it was the same vehicle that approached her.
Tecumseh superintendent Robert Kinsey said the school district was also made aware of what happened. He released a statement which said the district would be reviewing its “stranger danger” safety protocols with all its students.
The statement is below:
“The administrative team for Tecumseh Public Schools is aware of the incident that took place yesterday after school hours when an unknown individual approached one of our students while she was outside her home and offered her a ride in his vehicle. We are all concerned for the safety and well-being of our students both at school and when they are at home. We are continuously looking for ways to help keep our students safe. Our teachers teach lessons each year to help prepare our students on how to respond if they ever are involved in this type of situation, and over the next few weeks at each of our sites, we will be reviewing 'stranger danger' safety protocols with our students.”
Police in both towns have yet to identify the two men or the black van but have asked parents to stay vigilant.
"It's even scary to let your kids out nowadays,” said Harris. “You never know."