A 15-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday in the short-lived kidnapping of a 22-month-old toddler that was caught on surveillance video in this small farming town in eastern Washington. The Huffington Post reports:
The teenage boy, who lives in Sprague, was identified through the use of surveillance video, interviews and evidence collection, Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers said. The boy’s identity was being withheld because he is a juvenile, Magers said. “Over the past 72 hours, deputies and detectives have worked relentlessly on this case,” Magers said in a news release.
Detectives started focusing on the teen in the 24 hours before the arrest, Magers said. “Additional evidence, interviews, DNA collection and surveillance was conducted,” Magers said. “A search warrant was executed at the suspect’s residence.” One of the kidnap victim’s young siblings also positively identified the suspect, Magers said.
The 15-year-old was booked into a juvenile detention facility on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping, Magers said. The Lincoln County prosecutor’s office will make the formal charging decisions. Magers thanked the media for distributing pictures of the kidnapper and the public for providing tips. The sheriff’s office said he was not available to talk with reporters Wednesday afternoon.