Warnbro child abduction: Young girl lured into car outside school had hands bound, witnesses claim

A nine-year-old girl was allegedly lured into a stranger’s car as she walked to school in Warnbro on Friday before she was found in distress at a nearby shopping centre with her hands bound with cable ties. In a scenario that is every parent’s worst nightmare, the girl was on her way to class about 8.45am when she was picked up by a stranger, a man in his 30s, in a silver ute close to the school. A parent who witnessed the interaction grew suspicious and immediately reported it to the school, with a major police response unfolding when it was realised she was missing. “They thought that was suspicious and immediately reported it to the school,” Acting Det-Insp. Scott Johnson, of the sex crimes division, said. “The school did their due diligence in checking to see if the child was at school and contacted the parents and she wasn’t so police responded.” Word of the alleged abduction spread quickly on social media after the girl’s mother posted a plea for help to find her daughter, writing “someone has taken (my daughter) from school”. “She was seen being picked up by a man in a grey/silver ute at 8.25am outside of (the primary school) in Warnbro,” she said. With police officers swarming the area, the girl was later dropped off outside an IGA in Port Kennedy, just a few minutes’ drive away. Det-Insp. Johnson said staff at the supermarket “identified the child was in distress and contacted police”. “Shortly afterwards, police from a number of different units swarmed the Rockingham area and located a male in his 30s and what we believe is the vehicle used to take the child,” he said. Disturbingly, witnesses at the shopping centre told The West the girl’s hands were bound with cable ties when she was found. The man was taken into custody and was still being questioned on Friday night. No charges had been laid at the time of print. Police released dramatic police airwing footage of the moment officers swooped on the suspect, who appears to be wearing a high-visibility work uniform, leaning against a silver ute as he’s spoken to by police. “Suspect in custody,” an officer can be heard saying over the police radio. Forensic police were later seen at a bushland location within the Port Kennedy Scientific Park on Port Kennedy Drive, which is understood to have been linked to the alleged abduction. Officers were seen scouring bushes and taking photographs within the bush area. Detectives were seen leaving the scene about 5.40pm, taking bags of evidence with them. Meanwhile, the girl was taken to Perth Children’s Hospital for an assessment with her family by her side. She will be interviewed by specialist child interviewers to get her account of what happened. Det-Insp. Johnson said: “This is probably one of the utmost serious things that can happen, a young child to go missing, one of the most vulnerable people in our society.” “It was a proper response for most of metro (police) to get down here, there was a large contingent of police who were en-route (as soon as it was reported) — rapid apprehension squad, child abuse squad, Rockingham detectives,” he said. Det-Insp. Johnson praised the parent who raised the alarm. “That’s probably one of the primary reasons that this resolved — a parent noticing that something wasn’t right, seeing a child get into a car when they were almost at school and reporting it straight away, it’s of utmost importance,” he said. “It’s one of those things that parents need to have that hard conversation with children about stranger danger, and talking to anybody or going with anybody or doing anything online.” Alicia Janse Van Vuuren, who works nearby, said she saw the girl being taken into an ambulance at the shopping centre. “We saw her coming out of IGA and saw her being taken into the ambulance,” she said. “There were police detectives, a lot of them. “We were shocked by it, she looked tiny. “She was crying and distressed. “I thought at first she had lost her mum but she didn’t have any shoes on which I thought was concerning.” Another witness, who did not wish to be named, also saw police flood the area. “We saw (police cars) and ambulances rolling in and a little girl came out of the IGA with them,” they said. “She was upset and crying. “The police were carrying two brown paper bags.” Parents at the primary school were seen embracing each other as they picked up their children on Friday afternoon following the incident. One mother said the alleged abduction of the student at the school was “shocking” considering the family lives nearby. “I’ve watched my daughter walk into school by herself thinking she’s going to be safe ... I’m not letting her do that anymore,” she said. “It’s very scary.. god knows to think what the purpose is to take a child from school.” Several parents who spoke with The West said they were unaware of the severity of the incident before school pick-up time. “You get a text to say your kids are absent, so why can’t you get a text to say that an incident has happened at the school,“ said one parent who wished to remain anonymous. Families were issued a note on behalf of the school’s principal outlining that an “incident” had occurred and that “support staff” would be present at the school on Monday. The West Australian understands several students at the school witnessed the nine-year-old entering the vehicle.