Police in the North Dallas area appear to be saying that two separate reports of attempted child abductions on Monday may have just been misunderstandings.
The first incident occurred in Richardson and involved a man in a car allegedly stalking a female J.J. Pearce High School student, as reported by The Dallas Express. The second report came in later that day. The Dallas Police Department received a call about an attempted kidnapping on Old Pond Drive in Far North Dallas, about two miles away from where the first incident was alleged to have occurred.
Now DPD and the Richardson Police Department are issuing statements suggesting that parents in the area may have nothing to fear, at least in Dallas anyway.
“It was found that the driver was dropping off a family member at JJ Pearce High School. After reviewing the driver’s actions, detectives confirmed that no direct contact or communication with the student occurred. While the driver’s behavior is concerning, there were no criminal elements present to warrant charges,” Richardson police said in a statement, per Fox 4 KDFW.
In Dallas, the two individuals supposedly involved in the attempted kidnapping on Old Pond Drive were identified by authorities. DPD said both of them were under the age of 18 and cooperating with the investigation.
“In this case, detectives do not believe there is a threat to the public at this time. No arrests have been made in this case,” the department said.
Despite the possible absence of criminal activity in these two cases, one of the mothers whose children were suspected of being targeted was featured on Good Morning America, having shared the ordeal with WFAA. However, it is unclear whether she was aware at the time that the incident was not going to lead to any charges.
Genna Skolnik, a Dallas-based realtor, and her sons spoke with WFAA about the episode. Skolnik’s quick thinking enabled her to take a photo of the suspect’s car’s license plate, which may have led to police identifying the “suspect.”
According to data from the City of Dallas crime analytics dashboard, there have been 123 kidnappings or abductions committed in Dallas this year as of August 14, marking a 15% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Some 16 of the victims this year were under the age of 18.
Dallas has struggled to control crime as the department has been chronically understaffed for years. DPD fields only about 3,000 officers, despite a prior City analysis that recommended 4,000 officers for a city the size of Dallas. In addition, the department is working with a budget of $654 million this year, far less than other high-crime jurisdictions such as New York City and Chicago.