Abducted Autistic Teen From Arkansas Saved In Pierce County

EATONVILLE, WA - An autistic 18-year-old girl was rescued by Pierce County deputies Thursday after she was kidnapped and taken to a cabin north of Eatonville. Police have arrested a 50-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman in connection to the kidnapping.

The prime suspect, a 50-year-old Washington man, contacted the Arkansas girl via the internet and convinced her to meet him. The man flew with a 28-year-old woman to Tennessee and then drove to pick up the girl in Arkansas, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. The autistic girl was lured for "possible sexual motivation," police reported.

Deputies from Mississippi County in Arkansas contacted Pierce County on Thursday after figuring out the autistic girl had been communicating with a phone number from Washington. Pierce County detectives were able to locate the source of the phone number: a cabin along the 39100 block of Ski Park Road East, which is along Ohop Lake north of Eatonville.

"Deputies observed surveillance cameras on the house and could hear noises inside, but despite their commands, there was no answer at the door. As the team began to contemplate forcing entry to the residence, at 5:02 p.m. the suspects opened the doors and were taken into custody. The kidnap victim was located safe inside the house," the Pierce County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.

The two kidnappers are being extradited to Arkansas, according to police. The autistic girl spent the night in Washington with a deputy, and flew back home on Friday morning.

"We are incredibly proud of the work by our deputies in safely recovering the victim and returning her to family, and for their outstanding work in capturing the suspects. We are also proud to partner with the Mississippi County Sheriff's Office and commend their investigators for their exceptional work in identifying these suspects," the Pierce County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.

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