A 12-year-old boy told authorities he fought his way free from a man who grabbed him in a wooded area and pulled him towards him in an apparent kidnapping attempt Tuesday night.
The boy, who has not been identified, was searching for his brothers at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday in a field east of the 4400 block of East Mulberry Street near Fort Collins when the incident happened, according to a news release by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Department.
The boy walked to a wooded area in the northeast corner of the field, just south of railroad tracks. The area is near Boxelder Creek and west of the 200 block of Camino Del Mundo, according to the release.
The boy noticed someone behind a tree and assumed it was one of his siblings.
As he walked closer, a man came out from behind the tree and approached the boy. The man was unkempt with “messy” short black hair. He was mumbling and appeared to be highly intoxicated, the boy later told authorities.
The man allegedly grabbed the boy’s wrist and pulled the boy towards him. The boy was able to break free and he ran home, according to the news release.
“He was shaken and sustained minor scratches to his wrist but was not seriously injured,” the news release said. “At this time, it is unknown what the suspect’s intentions were.”
The boy’s siblings had gone to another part of the field and did not see the man, described as being a white man between the ages of 45 and 50.
The man was unshaven and wore a chin-only goatee and no mustache. The goatee was salt-and-pepper colored. The man was also wearing a dirty, short-sleeved, royal blue collared shirt and dirty tan cargo pants.
Deputies searched the area but did not find anyone matching the boy’s description of the man.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or
