Family Sends Warning, Fears Kidnapper Could Come Back
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CHARLOTTE, NC — Police have arrested a man they say abducted a little girl in broad daylight Saturday.
Jose Garcia, 41, is in jail for abduction of a child, kidnapping and breaking and entering after police arrested him in the Lake Mist Apartment complex minutes after the reported kidnapping.
Instincts kicked in, even for a 13-year-old, when Consuelo Miranda says she first noticed Garcia watching her play with her little brothers and sister around 2:30 pm.
She says he walked up and asked her to take his phone number.
“I’m scared, and I tell my brothers come here and come here,” said Miranda.
The kids ran home, but her six-year-old sister went back where she says Garcia met her with a promise of toys.
“He tells her, I have toys for you, and I want to play with you.’ and she go,” said Miranda.
Police say Garcia forced her into the window of a vacant apartment, where she says he put her in a closet.
“The predator loco,” said Meysi Miranda, the victim’s mother.
She called police minutes after her daughter vanished.
Family says Garcia was alone with the girl for 15 minutes. Neighbors ran around, yelling her name. When he heard that, the little girl says he let her go. What happened in that 15 minutes, the family isn’t sure.
Police arrested Garcia in the complex after the family says the little girl pointed him out to police. Now they’re warning others.
“Stay focused on your daughters,” said Meysi Miranda.
She says it is terrible to lose a child.
Garcia’s charges of kidnapping and child abduction are punishable by up to $100,000 fine and more than five years in prison.
Still, the family plans to move, worried he could come back.
Garcia did have two prior arrests relating to impaired driving dating back to 2014.
