The video footage captured a 15-year-old Lakewood girl entering a Walmart store alone, five hours after her disappearance had triggered a search involving about 200 law enforcement officers and eventually the issuance of an Amber Alert.
Shortly after the Lakewood High School student entered the store, she called police and reported she had been abducted.
Four days later, detectives have not been able to find any evidence that corroborates the girl’s version of events. They have not found physical evidence of a man she claimed of her home while she was awaiting a ride to school at around 7 a.m. on Monday.
Lakewood detectives continue to search for clues about who might have abducted the girl, who was not physically harmed or sexually assaulted, Lakewood police spokesman Steve Davis said Friday. The girl and her family have cooperated fully with the investigation, Davis said.
“We’ve talked to her several times. We’re having difficulty substantiating her version of what took place,” he said.
Davis was careful not to imply that authorities doubt the girl’s story, saying that in the past, detectives have investigated cases that seemed bizarre and appeared to be implausible, but turned out to be true, including a case involving a serial rapist.
“There were things that led us to believe we really had a tragic situation on our hands,” he said Friday of this case.
Shortly after the girl’s mother reported her missing after finding her backpack lying on the ground at their home in the 12100 block of West Nevada Drive at 7:15 a.m., Lakewood police mobilized a large-scale search.
It was broadened after her cellphone was discovered across the street at Kent Knutson Park. The FBI, State Patrol and deputies from Jefferson and Elbert counties all converged on a 1-square-mile area. A dog was used. The girl had no history of skipping school or running away.
As hours passed, more and more people were drawn into the investigation. A command post was set up. Four 10-man teams of officers canvassed the area, checking with homeowners and businesses.
Minutes after the case met the criteria for an Amber Alert, Lakewood police got a call from the girl at 12:20 p.m., saying she was safe.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or denverpost.com/coldcases
