Texas Father Rescues Kidnapped Daughter Using Phone Tracking
A 15-year-old girl was abducted at knifepoint while walking her dog on Christmas in Porter, a suburb of Houston in Montgomery County, Texas. The suspect, 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza from Porter, was identified and arrested there.
The girl's father used parental controls on her phone to track it about two miles away in a secluded, partly wooded area in Harris County. Upon arriving, the father discovered the girl and her dog inside a pickup truck with a partially nude man. With the father's help, the girl escaped and contacted law enforcement.
Espinoza was arrested without incident and charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child. No bail was set as of Sunday. Authorities have not released the identities of the victim or the father.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office reported that the assailant threatened the girl with a knife and forcibly took her off the street. Witnesses provided descriptions of a vehicle and driver that assisted in the investigation.
Under Texas law, aggravated kidnapping carries a minimum of five years in prison, while indecency with a child carries at least two years plus sex offender registration. Sheriff Wesley Doolittle commended deputies and detectives for the swift apprehension of the suspect and efforts to keep the community safe.
