An Arkansas teenager has been found alive after kidnappers demanded $10,000 for her return and threatened they would 'kill and cut up the victim'.
Police issued an Amber Alert for 17-year-old Trynytee Case after she disappeared when leaving work at the Pour Some Sugar On Me bakery in Hot Springs, Arkansas on Monday (18 April).
The teen was approached at around 9:15pm local time by a female stranger, who allegedly claimed she had lost her parents and needed to borrow a mobile phone. The woman also asked Case to approach her vehicle while she took down some GPS coordinates.
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Case was with a co-worker at the time, but they left to pick up their car from a nearby car park and by the time they returned, Case had vanished.
The co-worker contacted Case's mother, who alerted authorities. The teen's mother was eventually able to reach Case by phone, and after the teen told her "everything is fine" an unknown man is said to have taken the phone and told the mother he wanted $10,000 for her safe return, or else they would 'kill' Case and 'cut her up', according to the Amber Alert, per The Independent.
"Last known possible direction of travel was south on Highway 7, south of Hot Springs in a White 4-door 2014-2017 Honda Accord," the state police wrote on Facebook.
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Meanwhile, Hot Springs Police Department said police were seeking a vehicle of interest described as a '2021 White Nissan Versa with Tennessee license plate 59BD82'.
In an update posted on Tuesday evening, Hot Springs Police Department announced the Amber Alert had been deactivated and that Case had been located. Arkansas State Police added that she was 'safe'.
Hot Springs Police Officer Omar Cervants said Case was found alone but did not say where, KAIT 8 News reports. The teenager was then interviewed by officers, and Cervants said police have since located a vehicle and persons of interest in the case.
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Brad Snyder, captain of the Paragould Police Department, told KAIT 8 News this particular Amber Alert was 'out of the norm' as the perpetrator was not known to the victim.
“Custodial issues with children, that’s the ones you’ve seen lately in the last couple of years especially and so this situation seems to be a little out of the norm based on the information that I have,” he explained.
While it is not a common occurrence, however, Snyder noted Case's situation is a 'stark reminder that it can happen'.
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Emily Brown