UPDATE: 10-year-old kidnapped from Canby apartment found safe
This article was written by Alex Jensen from KGW News:
CANBY, Ore. — A 10-year-old girl who was abducted from her apartment in southeast Canby early Wednesday morning was found safe hours later; a suspect is in custody, authorities said.
"She is safe and sound," Canby Police Chief Jose Gonzalez said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
Violet Hay was located around 2:45 p.m. at a residence in Oregon City, authorities said. A SWAT team took the suspect into custody. Police did not release the suspect's identity.
"Very early this morning, a family's worst nightmare happened," said Chris Owens, chief deputy district attorney for Clackamas County. "A young child, Violet, was taken by force. Her sister was viciously assaulted."
Police said officers responded at about 1:47 a.m. to a report of a kidnapping at the Orchards Apartments in southeast Canby. Investigators determined an unknown man entered an apartment around 1:39 a.m., violently assaulted a 12-year-old girl and abducted her 10-year-old sister, Violet.
The 12-year-old girl was taken to a hospital and remained under medical care Wednesday afternoon.
According to Oregon State Police dispatch audio available through OpenMHz, a dispatcher reported that a man struck a 12-year-old girl in the head with what appeared to be a hammer and fled with a 10-year-old girl in a white van.
No Amber Alert was issued immediately after Violet's abduction. A Canby police spokesperson said the case "does not currently meet the criteria required for an Amber Alert" but did not specify which criteria were not met. Amber Alerts are emergency notifications used to alert the public to serious child abductions and typically include information about a suspect and vehicle.
The Canby School District said Violet is a student at Carus Elementary School and asked anyone with information to contact authorities. The district also said there would be an increased police presence at the school during dismissal as a precaution.
Investigators interviewed family members, canvassed the neighborhood and collected potential surveillance footage from nearby security cameras. Violet's parents are cooperating with the investigation, police said.
Canby police worked with the Clackamas County Major Crimes Team, Oregon State Police, the FBI and other agencies during the search.
Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact 1-800-442-0776 or email osp.ncc@osp.oregon.gov. Authorities asked tipsters to reference Canby Police case No. 26-021300.
