Man in custody after three Wichita school students kidnapped over two days, police say
A 21-year-old man is in custody after police said he kidnapped three Wichita Public School students on their way to and from school on Wednesday and Thursday.
A young teen girl was kidnapped in the 6600 block of E. Boston by a man in a blue vehicle Wednesday while walking home from Curtis Middle School, Wichita police spokesperson Chad Ditch said. The man attempted to sexually assault the girl before letting her go, Ditch said. She reported the incident to family. It was reported to police around 3:50 p.m.
On Thursday morning, a boy and girl walking to Clark Elementary School were kidnapped. The boy was dropped off shortly after and then the girl was found safe after that. The boy later reported the incident to his school, according to Ditch. Police were called around 8:55 a.m.
“This kind of situation is going to be extremely traumatizing,” he said. “The children are physically safe.”
Police spotted the suspect’s vehicle near Harry and Woodlawn. The driver stopped and ran out, leading police on a brief foot chase before being taken into custody, Ditch said. Police have not formally charged the man but think the suspect is the same in both cases.
When asked why police didn’t report the kidnapping Wednesday night, Ditch said police were still investigating the case and collecting evidence.
Terri Moses, USD 259’s director of safety and environmental services, said the police department didn’t tell the district about Wednesday’s kidnapping until after the two children were kidnapped Thursday morning.
Asked if police should have notified the district Wednesday night, the former Wichita police deputy chief said: “We can play what ifs ... but until you know the real details of what information was available yesterday, it’s hard to say. Yes, we want to share information when it’s safety information but I don’t know what information they had yesterday.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 12:20 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the time of the incidents. Police have only said when the kidnappings were reported to them.