October 28, 2006
Brandon Haught
Public Information Office

7-YEAR-OLD KIDNAPPED DURING ARMED HOME INVASION, LATER FOUND SAFE 

A group of gun-wielding men stormed into a DeLeon Springs home Saturday morning demanding money and drugs, and when they didn’t get what they were after, they kidnapped a 7-year-old boy. The boy was found unharmed later in the morning in DeBary. All four victims, including the boy, were bound during the ordeal, but no shots were fired and there were no serious injuries. The suspects are still at large and The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a full sized, white van that they may have been in. 

At an unknown time Saturday morning a group of black men, possibly six to eight of them, entered 5721 West Street and held the victims at gunpoint while demanding money and drugs. The victims said they didn’t have any. The boy, his mother and his two grandparents were then tied up and the suspects ransacked the house. The men didn’t find what they were looking for and so threatened to kidnap the boy if the victims didn’t comply. The victims still said they didn’t have anything the gunmen wanted. The suspects then grabbed the boy and fled with him. Once they left, a victim was able to get free and run to a neighbor for help. The neighbor called 911 at approximately 10:39, prompting more than 15 deputies and a Sheriff’s Office helicopter to respond. 

At approximately 11:33 a.m. a man who works for a utilities company in DeBary reported that he had a very shaken boy with him claiming that he had been kidnapped. Deputies recovered the boy unharmed on Barwick Road. They were able to calm him and talk with him as they rushed him back to his family. Investigators weren’t able to obtain any detailed descriptions of the kidnappers, but did get some information about their vehicle. It was a white, full sized van, possibly an early 2000s Dodge, with no windows on the side like a cargo work van. The inside of the van was painted black. 

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at (386) 736-5999 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, toll-free, at 1-888-277-TIPS.  Callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous and can qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.