The kidnapping of a 4-year-old girl had stumped police and the FBI for weeks, but a supermarket worker from a different country solved the case in just 2 days.
Yvette Henley had been living with her father Virgil Henley until June, when a court ruled that she was suffering "emotional damage" and that the home was unsafe for her. Custody was given to her grandparents Gary and Kim Forester instead.
But by that time Virgil had already disappeared, leaving the state with Yvette and his new girlfriend. A manhunt started, but after 3 weeks of searching local police and the FBI's child abduction task force hadn't found any sign of Virgil or Yvette.
Desperate for any leads he could find, Gary started tracking Virgil's Facebook page. The careless kidnapper revealed he was in Arizona by complaining about the weather on his account, and Gary hoped he would let more information slip out.
He even started recruiting Gary's Facebook friends to see if they could work any clues out of him. One of his recruits, a 21-year-old grocery store worker form the UK, managed to crack the case in just 2 days with a genius plan.
Harry Brown from the UK had met Virgil by chance on Facebook a few years ago, and once he learned about little Yvette's kidnapping he was happy to help.
The clever supermarket employee started a conversation with Virgil on social media, chatting about the weather and Virgil's health. Harry wanted to get Virgil's address so he could send help, but it was crucial to get the information without being suspicious.
So how did he pull it off? By asking the kidnapper if he wanted a pizza. Virgil was apparently thinking with his stomach, because he said yes right away and sent Harry his address. Police had spent weeks trying to find Virgil, but Harry got his exact location in less than 2 days, all from the comfort of his home.
It turns out Yvette, Virgil and his new girlfriend had fled to Arizona, where they were sleeping on the street and moving from one motel to the next. Police arrested the couple at the address Harry gave them, and now Yvette is home safe with her grandparents.
"I spend my life on the internet but little did I know that talking to random people would lead to me finding this little girl," the young hero told the Mirror. "She is loving where she is now. I cried so much when I saw the photos of her with her grandparents."
The Foresters were offering a $2,000 reward for help to find and rescue Yvette, but hopefully Harry also got a free pizza for his excellent detective work!
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