The Riverside County Sheriff and Moreno Valley Police Departments have released sketches of men wanted in connection with a series of attempted abductions near schools in Moreno Valley.
All of the abductions happened within one week. The men's physical descriptions appear to be different and there are no other obvious connections in the separate cases, police said.
The first incidents happened on Halloween just outside of Moreno Valley High School. That night, an African-American man in his 40s tried to lure a girl into his white van, police said. Both times he exited the van to try to force the girl inside; once he grabbed the girl by her arm.
On Nov. 6, officers responded to another attempted abduction near the high school. Detectives said two female students and one male student were approached by a man who asked if they wanted to use drugs with him. All three students continued walking toward the school and the man eventually walked away, police said.
The man is described as African American, in his 30s or 40s, with dark complexion and short black hair. Police say he stands about 5 feet 11 inches, and weighs 200 pounds. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black t-shirt with white writing on it, blue jeans and black Nike tennis shoes with a white swoosh, police said.
The next day, on Nov. 7, officers responded to a reported attempted abduction at Vista Del Lago High School.
There, a student said she was approached by an African-American man as she was walking home from school on John F. Kennedy Drive near Thyme Place. The girl told authorities the man asked her if she wanted to “smoke weed” with him. The student continued walking home, and told police she saw the man talking to more students as they walked home.
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The man in this incident is described as being in his 30s, approximately 6 feet tall, 200 pounds with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes.
That same day, there was a report of an attempted kidnapping at March Middle School. The alleged victim was walking home from school when a Latino man approached her in a blue/gray Nissan Altima.
Authorities said the man asked her if she needed a ride, then exited his car and approached the girl, who ran away and told her family about what happened.
That man is described as standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall, heavy set, with a mustache. He was wearing a black hat, dark sunglasses and a gray zip-up hooded sweatshirt.
The Moreno Valley Police and Riverside County Sheriff’s departments are asking anyone with information on these incidents to contact Det. Holland or Det. Adams at 951-486-6700.
