UPDATE: Dec 18, 2019, 12 PM ET
In an unexpected turn of events, Karol Sanchez was not only found alive, but she also reportedly confessed to staging the kidnapping.
“Shortly after she was found on Tuesday afternoon, Karol was questioned by officers from the 40th Precinct, where she admitted to setting up the kidnapping and then was released to her family,” The NY Times later reported, adding “During the interview, one police official said Karol described her mother as ‘overprotective.’ The police are still determining whether she or the two men will face criminal charges. The official said the family had been contemplating a move to their native Honduras, but that Karol was adamant she wanted to remain in the United States, which could have motivated her to stage the kidnapping.”
We will continue to keep you updated.
A teenage girl from N.Y. is missing after she was reportedly taken while walking down a Bronx street with her mother on Monday, December 16. The story, complete with footage of men hopping out of a van to snatch the 16-year-old, has gone viral as more and more reports of human trafficking and kidnappings are shared online.
From The NY Times:
The grainy black and white video showed a nightmarish scene. A mother and her 16-year-old daughter were walking down a quiet street when out of nowhere a beige, four-door sedan stopped and two men forcibly dragged the teenager, Karol Sanchez, into the vehicle. The kidnapping happened on Monday around 11:20 p.m. on Eagle Avenue, near East 156th Street in the Melrose section of the Bronx. On Tuesday morning, the police released footage from a security camera near the scene and asked for the public’s help in solving the crime. Investigators have yet to determine a motive for the kidnapping. The police said the unsuspecting mother and her daughter were out for a stroll on Monday night when the sedan, occupied by four men clad in black, stopped in front of 745 Eagle Avenue. Two of the men, believed to be in their 20s, then got out of the vehicle and snatched the teenager.
According to police, the mother was pushed to the ground when she tried to stop the kidnappers. Watch the horrifying footage below and contact authorities if you have any information that could help.
