A Texas father saved his 15-year-old daughter within hours of her abduction on Christmas Day by using the location data from her cell phone, authorities reported. The quick action helped prevent further harm and led to the swift arrest of the suspect in Porter, roughly 25 miles north of Houston.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the teenager had taken her dog for a walk around 4:50 pm local time and failed to return home. When she didn’t come back, her father alerted police and accessed the parental controls linked to her phone.
Using the phone’s location, the father traced his daughter to a secluded, partially wooded area nearly two miles from their home. There, he discovered her and the dog inside a maroon pickup truck with a partially nude 23-year-old man, later identified as Giovanni Rosales Espinoza.
The father helped his daughter escape from the vehicle and immediately called law enforcement. Deputies apprehended Espinoza without incident.
Police reported that the teenager had been threatened with a knife and forced into the truck. Espinoza now faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child and is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail.
Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle condemned the attack, stating, “Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child.” He praised deputies and detectives for their swift response, noting the suspect is now off the streets.
The teenager is recovering safely with her family, who said they did not know Espinoza and are grateful for the prompt intervention. The investigation remains ongoing.
