11-year-old alleges attempted kidnapping; police find no evidence to support claim

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) - Police say they investigated an alleged attempted kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl but found no evidence to support her claim.

The girl says she escaped by kicking her way to freedom.

She says she was walking home from a park with three friends near South Mendenhall Road and White Station Road in Memphis, Tennessee, just before noon on Saturday.

As they walked home, a man in a newer model black Ford F-150 started to follow them, according to the girl.

“It was going really slow and kind of staying like behind me and my other friend. My friend had ran to go catch up with her other friends, and then I fell in the mud,” the girl said.

According to a police report, the girl says she tried to get away and turned onto Gower Street from White Station Road, but fell in the road while running.

“I had fell in the mud and the dude came up behind me, and he had grabbed me and put a rag over my face and dragged me into his truck and then he started driving off,” she said.

According to the girl, the alleged attacker inappropriately touched her and drove her around for five minutes before she was able to kick him and escape through the passenger door.

Her grandmother said she is proud of how brave her granddaughter was in the scary moment.

“Very proud, she wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t. This guy had no intentions of letting her go,” the girl’s grandmother said.

The girl described her alleged attacker as being “skinny” and 6 feet tall. She says he was wearing latex gloves, a medical mask, a black beanie, sweatpants and a navy blue shirt.

Police closed the investigation after they say no evidence could be found to support the 11-year-old’s claim. The child will not be charged with making a false report.

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