Giovanni Rosales Espinoza, 23. Photo: Source: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
A Texas father is being credited with rescuing his teenage daughter after she was allegedly kidnapped on Christmas Day, using location tracking on her cellphone to find her.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the 15-year-old had gone outside to walk her dog but failed to return home at her usual time. When concern grew, her parents used parental controls on her phone to pinpoint her location.
Her father followed the signal to a secluded, wooded area nearly two miles from their home, where he discovered his daughter and her dog inside a maroon pickup truck with a partially unclothed man. He was able to help his daughter escape from the vehicle and immediately contacted authorities.
Investigators later determined the suspect had threatened the teen with a knife and forcibly abducted her from the street. Witnesses provided deputies with a detailed description of the truck, which led to the identification of Giovanni Rosales Espinoza, 23.
Espinoza was arrested without incident and charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child. He is currently being held in the Montgomery County Jail without bond.
Sheriff Wesley Doolittle condemned the crime in a statement, calling the incident a devastating act committed on a day meant for celebration and reaffirming his department’s commitment to protecting the community.
