Man Hunt Continues in Abducted Girl Case

Investigators continued to fan out across the San Fernando Valley today in search of two men in connection with the abduction of a 10-year-old Northridge girl who went missing from her bedroom in the middle of the night Wednesday and turned up almost 12 hours later about six miles away in Woodland Hills.

As many as 20 detectives were believed to be working on the case. Police established a tipline for people to provide information about the investigation. People with information regarding the case can call 213-486-6890.

The girl was reported missing when her mother noticed her bed empty
about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday in the family's home in the 8000 block of Oakdale
Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. About 3 p.m. Wednesday, somebody dropped the girl off at a Kaiser hospital, and she walked to a nearby Starbucks at Canoga Avenue and Oxnard Street, where a good Samaritan directed her to some police officers in the area.

Police said detectives interviewed the girl -- who had some facial lacerations -- and obtained sketchy information about suspects, learning the girl had been taken to various locations, possibly in two different vehicles, by two suspects.

"Understand that as a 10-year-old child, traumatized after a very traumatic experience and she hadn't slept in a long period of time, we have some information but we're going to go back with our expert interviewers and
try to re-interview her over the next couple hours,'' LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith
told reporters during an early afternoon news conference.

Police said the girl did not know either of the two suspects, one of whom was described as being a man about 18 years old. She told police she was held in an abandoned home near her house and later a storage facility, both of which have been searched by police.

Smith would not discuss any evidence that may have been found during the
searches. Detectives have seized one vehicle, believed to be a black pickup
truck.

Several media outlets reported that a boy had been abducted from the girl's aunt in 2008 and taken to Europe. Smith said he had no information about prior crimes with other members of the family.''

LAPD Capt. Kris Pitcher said investigators were reviewing surveillance tapes in the area, interviewing people and "turning over every stone we can'' to solve the case.

Smith chastised some media outlets "who chose to publish the crimes
this girl suffered,'' saying it would be inappropriate to publicize "any
information about the trauma or indignities'' she endured. Smith was likely referring to media outlets reporting the girl was sexually assaulted.