Kidnap Suspect Waives Extradition; Girl Still Missing

Despite waning hopes, authorities are continuing the search for a 7-year-old girl who disappeared 10 days ago from Laughlin, Nev., after her mother allowed a stranger to take the child on a ferryboat ride to Arizona. The stranger was arrested last weekend in Oceanside.

Rebecca Lanning, who was living out of a car in Laughlin with her mother, was last seen on the other side of the Colorado River in Bullhead City, Ariz., on Oct. 2. Since then, a massive search has been under way in Arizona and Nevada, but FBI agents say the odds of recovering the child decrease with every passing day.

The man who is suspected of kidnaping the girl, Timothy P. Quinton, 24, of South Carolina, agreed Thursday in San Diego Municipal Court to waive extradition proceedings and return to Arizona. Municipal Judge Allan Preckel ordered that Mojave County officials transport Quinton back to Arizona within 10 days.

Quinton, who was identified by Rebecca’s mother as the man who abducted the child, was captured by Oceanside police Saturday while riding in a stolen car near Airport Road and Production Avenue. He will remain in County Jail in Vista without bail until transported to Arizona, according to San Diego FBI spokesman Ron Orrantia.

Orrantia said Quinton refused to cooperate with authorities, and the “processing” of Quinton’s car for fingerprints and other evidence represents the best chance for gleaning additional information.

“Our biggest concern is the safety of the girl,” said Orrantia, who refused to comment whether the search of Quinton’s car revealed anything of significance.

In Bullhead City, local authorities have been circulating the girl’s photo in an effort to involve the community in the search. However, expectations of finding Rebecca are low.

FBI supervisor Steve Chenoweth in Phoenix said his office is conducting a preliminary investigation to see if any federal offenses have been committed. Federal involvement hinges on the discovery of the Lanning girl, he said, and whether she was unlawfully transported across state borders.

Chenoweth said the FBI will continue to search for the girl. “You keep searching until you think you’ve done everything you can in retrieving her,” he said.

Ironically, Rebecca’s mother, Cynthia McGee, said she momentarily found her daughter the same night Quinton reportedly took the child on the ferryboat, Chenoweth said.

After Rebecca and Quinton failed to return from the ferryboat trip, McGee took another ferryboat to Arizona to find her daughter. After locating Quinton and the girl in Bullhead City, McGee allowed the man to walk off with the child a second time, believing Quinton’s story about returning with the girl after getting his car, Chenoweth said.

McGee first met Quinton, who was also living out of his car in Nevada, a few days before her daughter’s disappearance, Chenoweth said.