WAUPACA COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – The Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a pair of attempted abductions from over the weekend.
However, police are saying the two incidents are not connected.
“It’s very rare, I would say that, but I can tell you that they are not related. But yes, it’s very odd that we would have two in such a short time frame,” said Detective Captain Julie Thobaben.
Around 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, a man tried to force a 27-year-old woman and her 1-year-old son into his car along Island Road. She was able to safely return home and contact police. The driver is described as 60-70 year old white man with white shaggy hair. He was driving a light green Subaru.
“After following up on tips in the investigation and things like that we do have a substantial lead on the incident that occurred [Sunday] night,” Thobaben told WTAQ News. “The other one, we’ve got numerous tips coming in on a daily basis. We have our detectives, as well as some of the patrol officers, following up on those very diligently to make sure that the community is safe and [we’re] trying to figure that one out.”
That other case happened around 3:45 p.m. Friday afternoon. A young girl was getting off the school bus when a man, who was hiding in the bushes nearby, grabbed her and took her into a wooded area. Police say he eventually ran off. That suspect is described as about 5’9″ and 200 pounds, wearing black jeans, black shoes, a thin black jacket, and a black ski mask.
Thobaben says the constant flow of tips should turn up something sooner, rather than later.
“We follow up on each and every one of them. Even if a tip doesn’t seem like it mixes with this particular incident, you still have to follow up on everything because something could come up from that particular tip. You just never know,” Thobaben said. “Initially, when things are the reported is key on those. We responded to the scene and talked to everybody involved, worked a neighborhood canvass, and we can get a lot of really good information on the neighborhood canvasses.”
Once a suspect is identified, Thobaben says they’ll likely file charges including attempted kidnapping – among others that may apply. But interviewing the suspects is also an important part to understanding the crimes.
“[Look into] their background, ask questions on why, try to get their motive behind it – what were they trying to do? What was their ultimate goal in this?” Thobaben said.
Anyone with tips or information related to these cases should contact the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office at (715) 258-4466.
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