Joseph Andrew Bragg, 28, Maple Grove, MN
ZIMMERMAN, Minn. (KFGO) – A man is in custody in the Sherburne County Jail for the alleged kidnapping of a seven-year-old girl in Zimmerman that prompted an AMBER Alert.
The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office said the girl was last seen getting off the school bus around 4:00 p.m. Wednesday and then disappeared.
Sherburne County Dispatch received a call reporting the girl missing at about 6:30 p.m.
A community notification was issued at 9:45 p.m. describing a black car following the school bus. Investigators eventually ruled out any involvement of a black vehicle.
An AMBER Alert was issued at 11:40 p.m. after law enforcement received information that she likely had been abducted.
Through investigation and use of technology, investigators identified a white Dodge Ram pickup as a suspect vehicle and issued an emergency alert to law enforcement agencies just after 12:30 a.m.
Around 1:00 Thursday morning, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) reported the girl was found safe in a vehicle on Interstate-35.
28-year-old Joseph Bragg of Maple Grove was arrested. The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office says he will be charged with abduction.
The girl was checked out at a hospital and reunited with her family.
Authorities said it is believed that this was a stranger abduction, but there was a tie to the girl on social media.
The sheriff’s office thanked the numerous law enforcement and first responders who assisted in the search, as well as about 700 volunteers who helped in the search.
Comments