The SUV allegedly used in the kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl has been spotted in Lumberton, FBI said.
The stolen SUV was spotted on a surveillance camera. The authorities released a photo of the SUV on Nov. 7. The image was captured near the girl’s home minutes after the abduction.
Hania Noelia Aguilar was outside her home in Lumberton on Nov. 5. The incident happened while she was waiting for the rest of her family to come outside and drive her to school, the FBI said. Investigators have been collecting and analyzing surveillance video since the incident.
According to a witness, a male forced Aguilar into one of her relatives’ vehicles parked in the driveway. The suspect was dressed in all black and wore a yellow bandana around his face.
The witness initially described the suspect as a black male during the 911 call, but investigators determined the witness had not seen the race of the abductor during follow-up interviews.
The stolen vehicle is described as a green, 2002/2003 Ford Expedition with South Carolina license plate NWS-984. The FBI says the paint on the hood is peeling, and there’s a Clemson sticker on the rear window.
Aguilar was grabbed just before 7 a.m., and an Amber Alert was issued three hours later.
She is described as a Hispanic female with long black hair, brown eyes, and braces, standing 5 feet tall and weighing 126 pounds.
She was last seen wearing a blue shirt with flowers and blue jeans.
“Witnesses can’t describe the suspect other than he had a yellow bandanna over his face. After grabbing the child he forced her into the Green Ford Expedition and stole it and drove away,” Lumberton Police Department Capt. Terry Parker said in a news release obtained by WPDE.
The authorities are offering a $15,000 reward for the information that leads to Aguilar.
Andy Delarocha, a senior supervisory resident agent with the FBI calls the public to help. “Sometimes, people think they don’t have important information to share. Please, let us decide. Call the tip line,” he said.
Aguilar’s family is working with law enforcement and fully cooperating with investigators to locate the teen, according to the FBI. Her mother asks whoever took her daughter to bring her back home.
“I just want my daughter back with me. I’m here waiting for you. I love you and only care about you. And I don’t have anything against whoever did this to you—I just want you back,” she said on Nov.6, in a statement read by Delarocha.
The Lumberton Police Department has set up a special tip line for the public who have information to help investigators find Aguilar at 910-272-5871.
The FBI and police urge anyone with information to call the tip line or 911 immediately.