Photos of kidnapping suspect generating leads but no arrests yet, police say

Man allegedly tried to take 7-year-old girl from North side apartment complex

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police say their phones have been ringing, but so far they have not received the right tip to lead to them to a man wanted in connection with an attempted kidnapping.

Last Friday, police released several photos to the media that were taken from surveillance cameras at an apartment complex near Loop 1604 and Redland Road.

They identified him as the would-be kidnapper of a 7-year-old girl the previous night.

As of Tuesday morning, detectives were still sorting through the tips they’ve received, according to Sgt. Michelle Ramos, a public information officer for San Antonio Police Department.

Man accused of kidnapping 7-year-old wanted by SAPD

“These cases they do take a great amount of detective work and so we are following up on those leads,” she said. “We're fortunate that that young girl was able to provide the information that she did provide.”

According to the girl’s father, who spoke to KSAT 12 News early last Friday morning, the child had stepped out of his apartment Thursday evening for just a few minutes to take her dog for a walk.

“(The apartment complex) has video of him getting in the pool with everybody and he was, like, stalking for kids,” said Steven Gonzales.

He said the man, who had been seen hanging around the apartment complex for hours, suddenly grabbed his daughter and put her in the back seat of his red SUV.

Fortunately, Gonzales said, his daughter was able to escape by climbing out of the suspect’s vehicle while he waited for the apartment complex gate to open.

Video also shows the suspect escaping by driving off the property.

“We wanted people to be aware especially in that area that you're not safe anywhere really,” Gonzales said.

Police echoed his statements about awareness, warning people to pay attention to their surroundings.

But they hope with the public’s help they will be able to track down this suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call SAPD’s Special Victims Unit at (210) 207-2313.


About the Authors:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Tim has been a photojournalist and video editor at KSAT since 1998. He came to San Antonio from Lubbock, where he worked in TV and earned his bachelor's degree in Electronic Media and Communication from Texas Tech University. Tim has won a handful of awards and has earned a master's in Strategic Communication and Innovation from Tech as well.