Philadelphia police establish task force to seek leads in child abduction case

By Michael Matza, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: February 01, 2013

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey has created a task force to press for fresh leads in the case of a 5-year-old girl abducted Jan. 14 during a security breach at Bryant School in Cobbs Creek.

First Deputy Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Wednesday about a half-dozen officers from the Major Crimes Unit and detective divisions would be deployed to aid the investigation led by the Special Victims Unit.

"Special Victims has been working tirelessly. We need to give them some help," Ross said. "We need to find who committed this terrible crime. This little girl deserves that."

Ross said the task force would work as long as it took to achieve a break in the case. "We have to find the person or persons responsible," he said, "before someone else gets hurt."

The child was taken from the school by a woman posing as her mother, and an Amber Alert was issued. The child, wearing only an adult-size T-shirt, was found by a passerby on an Upper Darby playground the next morning in the freezing cold.

Police have gone door to door, scouring the area near the school. It was not immediately known what other measures the task force would employ.

At the very least, Ross said, it will provide "fresh legs" to pursue leads.

A reward of $80,000 has been posted for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the abduction.

Contact Michael Matza at 215-854-2541 or mmatza@phillynews.com.