Police Search for “Child Predator” in Abduction of 2-Year-Old Girl

The search continues for a man identified by police as a child predator after a 2-year-old girl abducted in Gardena was dropped off 14 miles away by her kidnapper.

The girl wandered away from her mother Thursday at a self-serve carwash, Gardena Police Department Chief Ed Medrano told reporters. The girl's mother heard her daughter call to her and then she was gone, Medrano said.

A family member said people were trying to help by, "looking around, (and) knocking on doors," after she disappeared. The child was later found in near Atlantic Street and Santa Ana Avenue in Cudahy, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. 

No arrests were reported Friday afternoon.

"This man is a child predator," said Gardena Lt. Steve Prendergast. "I haven't seen a crime like this in the 20 years I've been in Gardena."

The child was injured during the abduction, Prendergast said. Her condition was not disclosed.

Police believe she was taken and dropped off by someone in a white four-door 2008-2012 Nissan Altima. The vehicle, captured on surveillance video, might not have a front-end license plate.

The plate appears fixed to the vehicle in the surveillance video, but police said it might have been removed before the kidnapping.

"We're going to find this guy," Prendergast said.

Authorities released more surveillance video Friday in connection with the abduction. The video from a Gardena residence shows the white Nissan circling around a neighborhood.

Anyone within information about the case was urged to call 911 or Gardena police at 310-217-9670.

NBC4's Jonathan Lloyd and Toni Guinyard contributed to this report.

Contact Us