Teenage girl dragged from her Northeast Columbia yard in attempted abduction

UPDATE – After a 14-year-old Northeast Columbia girl told sheriff’s deputies last month that a masked man tried to abduct her, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department released a statement Wednesday that the girl had made up the story.

Read the full story on the faked abduction here.

RICHLAND COUNTY – An unknown male attempted to drag a 14-year-old girl from her yard into a waiting panel van last week according to information released Monday afternoon by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident occurred last week about 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, on Heron Glen Drive in the Lake Shore Village neighborhood, between Killian and Farrow Roads.

The RCSD Deputy Chief of Investigations said the teen stepped out of the house with the dog and the dog went around the house to the front door. As the teen went around to the side of the house to retrieve the dog, a masked, gloved individual, was lurking behind an air conditioning unit and attempted to drag the teen to a waiting van.

He said the individual was believed to be a black male dressed in black. A second individual is believed to have been driving the van.

The Chief Deputy said that as the teen screamed and called for help, the dog, a pit bull, bit the man’s leg and the teen was able to escape. The teen’s mother heard her daughter’s screams and ran out of the house to help as the abductor ran off toward the van.

“The van is described as a panel van with windows on the back and only on the passenger and drivers doors. It was a white, dingy, dirty color,” he said.

The mother of the teen reported to have seen the van in the neighborhood earlier in the day.

Deputies are asking that neighbors submit video they might have that points out to the street to help in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372). The website is midlandscrimestoppers.com.

Contact us: (803) 767-5711 | P.O. Box 675, Blythewood, SC 29016 | [email protected]