A neighborhood where Cleveland police said a 6-year-old girl was abducted from her home early Saturday morning, before she was found two miles away, is on alert.
Parents living on West 104th Street near Western Avenue in Cleveland’s Cudell neighborhood said they are uneasy knowing a child predator could be living among them. The street is full of families with small children.
Now, parents like Ray Lopez and Crystal Pratts are taking precautions.
“It could be anybody’s child,” Lopez said Tuesday. “The kids are not allowed outside without us outside any more.”
"That makes me wake up every night in the middle of the night and makes sure all the windows are closed, doors locked,” Pratts said, “So that way nobody just walks into my house.”
Raven Heim and her fiance Justin Coyne said police and FBI agents have gone door-to-door showing two photos of the abductor. Both said they immediately recognized the man in the surveillance photos. They said they see him around often, but do not know him.
"I actually saw him a couple days before the girl was kidnapped," Heim said. "He walks around the neighborhood. I see him when I get my mail or take the dog out."
Coyne said the man typically wore a hood covering his head.
"Always looking around, consistently looking behind him. He just didn't look like he belonged, looked like he was up to no good," Coyne added.
Earlier, police released a detailed description of the home that the little girl said she was taken to. It was a brick home with a white door and black front porch railings. The suspect was described as a white male with light brown hair and a "neatly-trimmed" beard. He was about 5-foot 10-inches tall and had at least one tattoo. He was wearing a maroon or red hoodie.
They’re pleading with the public to come forward with any information.
A confidential tip line has been set up at 216-622-6842.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.
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