Man Charged After Allegedly Abducting a 7-Year-Old Girl After She Got Off Her School Bus By Kimberlee Speakman

A man has been charged after allegedly abducting a 7-year-old girl after she got off her school bus.

The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) in Minnesota shared in a press release on Thursday, Jan. 22, that they had arrested and charged Joseph Andrew Bragg, 28, with the abduction of the child.

The SCSO alleged that Bragg took the girl at around 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 21, after she got off the school bus that transported her home from her local school in Zimmerman, Minn. The SCSO said they received a report that the child was missing at around 6:30 p.m. after she did not come home.

“An extensive search by law enforcement, first responders and the public didn’t reveal her whereabouts, and investigators had no corroboration that she had potentially left the area in a vehicle until hours later,” SCSO Commander Ben Zawacki said in the release.

Authorities released a community notification that the child — whom they did not identify — was missing just after 9:30 p.m., with a description of a “black passenger car that was following her school bus.” However, they eventually determined that the car was not involved.

The SCSO said an Amber Alert was issued at 11:40 p.m. after investigators determined from information they received that the girl had likely been abducted. 

Shortly after this, detectives discovered through their investigation and technology that a white Dodge Ram had been involved and was the “suspect vehicle.” An emergency alert was subsequently sent out to law enforcement agencies at around 12:30 a.m.

About 30 minutes later, Freeborn County alerted the SCSO that they had located the suspect vehicle and found the 7-year-old girl inside. They said she was “safe,” and the suspect, Bragg, was arrested. 

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Police stated in a press conference, per local news outlet KARE, that Bragg had no prior significant criminal history. However, authorities said several local mothers claimed that the 28-year-old sent them messages on social media, responding to an online search for a nanny and babysitter.

The SCSO plans to look into why Bragg traveled to Zimmerman and targeted the girl.

“This is every family’s worst nightmare,” Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at the press conference, per KARE.     

He urged parents to talk to their children about how to deal with strangers, both in person and online, and remind them about school pickup procedures.

“We want to make sure that everybody across Minnesota continues to do just what we saw in this community today. When a child goes missing, we come together. We work together,” Evans added.