The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of an attempted abduction of a child in Golden Gate Estates on Tuesday night.
The 12-year-old girl told detectives she was riding her bicycle in the street near her house in the 400 block of 1st Street Southwest shortly after 6 p.m. when she was approached from behind by a man she did not know. The man grabbed her and pulled her off her bike onto the ground, where she struggled to get away from him, detectives said.
Detectives said the man tried to cover her mouth with his hands. He let her go, possibly due to a barking dog nearby. The girl ran to a safe place. Authorities were notified.
Deputies immediately set up a perimeter and launched an air and ground search using K-9 tracking dogs.
Detectives said the man is described as white or Hispanic, in his 20s or 30s, around 6 feet tall with short black hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt, possibly with stripes or writing on it, dark loose-fitting pants and sneakers with white on them.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 252-9300, or if you wish to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1.800.780.TIPS (8477).
