PORTER, Texas — A Texas father was able to rescue his 15-year-old daughter on Christmas Day after using phone tracking technology to locate where she was being held, leading to the arrest of a 23-year-old suspect, authorities said.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a home in Porter, northeast of Houston, around 4:50 p.m. on Christmas Day following a report of a missing and kidnapped juvenile.
Investigators said the teen had taken her dog for a walk but failed to return home at her usual time. Concerned, her parents used parental controls to track her cellphone. Her father followed the phone’s location to a secluded, partially wooded area in neighboring Harris County, about two miles from their home.
Deputies said the father found his daughter and her dog inside a maroon pickup truck with a 23-year-old man, later identified as Giovanni Rosales Espinoza of Porter. The father helped his daughter escape and immediately contacted law enforcement.
An investigation revealed Espinoza allegedly abducted the teen from the street and threatened her with a knife, deputies said.
Using descriptions provided by witnesses, sheriff’s deputies located Espinoza and took him into custody without incident. He was charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child and is currently being held without bond.
“Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child,” said Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle. “I am incredibly proud of our deputies and detectives who worked tirelessly to ensure this dangerous predator was swiftly apprehended.”
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing.
