Abducted Girl Helps Standoff End Safely
A man accused of abducting a 17-year-old girl from a Nebraska mall last week surrendered at a lakeside cabin in Montana after the teenager calmly helped police end a 10-hour standoff.
Anne Sluti, an honor student from Kearney, Neb., had a black eye but appeared otherwise unharmed. She ran into the arms of a deputy and was later reunited with her parents in nearby Kalispell.
“We have a miracle that happened,” Sluti’s father, Don, said by telephone from Kearney before leaving for Montana. He said he was able to talk with his daughter during the overnight negotiations.
Anthony Zappa, 29, allegedly grabbed the girl from a mall parking lot in her hometown and took her 900 miles to this small resort town on Flathead Lake.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.