Dallas Police Say No Kidnapping Attempt Happened
- Residents in the neighborhood were concerned about the alleged kidnapping attempt.
- The incident gained viral attention as the boys shared their story.
- Dallas Police Department confirmed that no kidnapping attempt occurred.
DALLAS — The Dallas Police Department has officially closed its investigation into an alleged attempted kidnapping that garnered significant media attention last week in far north Dallas. Authorities confirmed that no charges were filed related to the incident, which took place on Old Pond Drive. Initial reports described a young man exiting a white SUV and approaching a group of children, raising concerns among local residents. Cori Pratt, the Expanded Neighborhood Patrol coordinator for the Highlands North Homeowners Association, expressed the community's heightened anxiety following the reports. She reached out to local law enforcement for clarity, learning that no arrests had been made and that the situation had not been classified as an attempted kidnapping. The police investigation revealed that the incident stemmed from a misunderstanding involving a child throwing an object at the suspect's vehicle. Melissa Ashby, the mother of a teenager identified as the alleged suspect, clarified that her son, who has autism, was simply trying to engage with the children. She recounted that her son complimented the boys, but one of them reacted negatively, prompting her son to retreat to the vehicle. Ashby emphasized that her son was cleared of any wrongdoing and expressed frustration that the correct information was not communicated to the public sooner, which could have alleviated community fears.