Authorities: Man jailed in Illinois for kidnapping 5-year-old girl from Jackson Township
JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) - New information was released Saturday on the kidnapping and abduction of a 5-year-old girl from Jackson Township.
The alleged kidnapper, Jonathan Lee Stinnett, is under arrest and in custody, according to Jackson Township police.
Authorities said the little girl was found safe Friday evening near Bloomington, Ill. after a citizen contacted the McLean County Sheriff’s Office about a suspicious vehicle.
The girl’s family traveled to Illinois and they were reunited, Jackson Township police said.
Authorities found Stinnett around 7:30 p.m. Friday sleeping in his car, according to a Facebook post from the McLean County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said the vehicle, a silver van, was parked along a field entrance.
When police ran the van’s plates, the post said, they discovered there was an outstanding kidnapping warrant associated with the car as well as an AMBER Alert.
The little girl was located by police in the rear passenger area of the van, the post said.
The sheriff’s office said Stinnett was arrested without incident, and the girl was taken to a hospital.
The little girl was taken around 6:15 p.m. Thursday.
According to a 911 call released to 19 News, child’s mother told a dispatcher that her babysitter’s boyfriend said he was going to take the girl to a McDonald’s to go to the bathroom.
The mother said the babysitter contacted her after growing concerned when Stinnett failed to return. That’s when she called 911.
Initially, an endangered missing child alert was issued for the girl just after midnight Friday, but authorities then changed it to an AMBER Alert hours later after 2 p.m.
The AMBER Alert was canceled at 9:52 p.m.
Stinnett was taken to the McLean County Detention Facility following his arrest and remains there.
Jackson Township police said he will be extradited to Ohio.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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