One Man May Be Linked to 3 Abductions : Officials Say Descriptions Given by Child Victims ‘Are Very Close’

The same man may be responsible for at least three abductions and molestations of young children in the Los Angeles area during the last month, authorities said Thursday.

“It’s a very good possibility; the descriptions are very close,” Los Angeles Police Detective Lou Gallegos said.

In the three cases, the children were abducted by a man driving a dirty white or beige station wagon. All were molested and hours later dropped off away from their homes, police said.

Gallegos said that the children described the suspect as a white male in his early 30s with light brown or dark blond hair, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds.

Attacks Began Feb. 25

The series of attacks began in Montebello on Feb. 25 when a 6-year-old girl was grabbed while sitting on a bench on the grounds of Wilcox Elementary School, Montebello Police Detective Randy Thomas said. Two hours later, she was found on Mariposa Avenue near downtown Los Angeles.

On March 11, a 9-year-old boy was kidnaped from his Monterey Park home by a man who burglarized the house before taking the boy. He was later dropped off on San Fernando Road in Los Angeles, detectives said.

On March 20, an 8-year-old girl was abducted from her bed by a man who broke into her parents’ home in Glassell Park. She was later found wandering on Verdugo Road in Glendale, police said.

Although two of the children were taken from their beds and one from a bench, detectives said they believe the abductor is the same man.

“There are enough similarities,” Thomas said.

Gallegos said that police in Los Angeles, Montebello and Monterey Park are checking their files for other kidnaping cases that may be related.