Police seek clues in teenager's abduction

WAYNESFIELD - Investigators are searching for clues into the abduction of a 14-year-old girl from her eastern Auglaize County home.

Sheriff Al Solomon on Tuesday said the girl was able to escape and call for help shortly after the incident early Monday. Solomon said an unknown man "forcibly removed" the girl from her home and forced her into a pickup truck. The truck traveled a short distance before the girl was able to escape.

"We're handling this as a true abduction at this point, as we would with any case," Solomon said. "There's no indication of anything else."

The incident occurred a week after a 15-year-old boy in Shelby County claimed he had been abducted from his home. Authorities there later determined the boy made up the story about being abducted to cover for taking the family car for a drive and crashing it into a pole.

Solomon said the incident took place between 1 and 2 a.m. Monday at a home along state Route 196 south of Waynesfield. The sheriff declined to provide more specifics about the exact location of the incident.

The exact circumstances about what happened early Monday were unclear. Solomon declined to provide more specifics about whether the girl opened the door for someone or whether the person was inside the house.

The man was described as between 40 and 50 years old. The truck was a green Chevrolet single-cab pickup with a green cap. The truck had manual windows and door locks, Solomon said.

Solomon said residents in the area should be extra vigilant until the man is apprehended.

"We want them to be cautious," Solomon said. "We'd like anybody with information that might assist us in this case to give us a call."