Woman kidnapped at Wal-Mart

**crdurham** · 07-20-2004, 05:24 PM

There have been two woman kidnapped at separate Wal-Marts in my area. Lucky they have been dropped off unharmed, still really, really scary. Here's the story-please be careful everyone, you never know when it could happen.

KINGSPORT - Investigators from two area police departments are reviewing video surveillance that may provide leads in identifying a man who kidnapped two women in separate incidents Saturday.

Kingsport Police Department Detective Cpl. David Quillen and Johnson City Police Department Investigator Lt. Matt Howell said their detectives are looking at videotapes from the areas where the women were abducted. The tapes came from cameras positioned in the parking lots where the abductions occurred and from an ATM.

So far, the tapes have not helped investigators, but each department has more video to review.

Investigators have said they believe the Johnson City incident - which occurred about six hours and 25 miles away from the Kingsport incident - is related.

The first kidnapping and robbery happened in Kingsport about 1 p.m. Saturday in the Wal-Mart parking lot off Fort Henry Drive when a man asked a woman for directions then forced her at knifepoint into her vehicle.

The man forced the 25-year-old woman to drive to Summerville Road, where he tied her to a railroad switch box then left in her Honda Civic.

A second, similar incident happened in the Kroger parking lot off State of Franklin Road in Johnson City between 6:30 and 6:45 p.m. the same day.

The woman told police that the man asked her several times for directions to a location in Johnson City. She apparently became suspicious after giving him directions multiple times.

Then the man pulled out a sharp instrument and forced the woman into her car, made her drive to her bank ATM and told her to withdraw money.

Howell said the man told the victim to drive behind White's grocery store on State of Franklin Road, forced her out of the car, handed the woman her purse and drove away.

In each incident, the victim's vehicle was later found in the same area where the abduction took place.

Both departments have released composite drawings of their suspects.

Quillen said there have been no leads related to the drawing released Monday, but he and other investigators are continuing to gather evidence.

"We're just trying to chase down any leads we have and trying to get this guy identified," Quillen said.

"We have the victim's car, and we're trying to get that processed," he said.

"Detectives will be looking for fingerprints. We'll try to see if we can get any fingerprints, DNA evidence or if the suspect left anything behind that may be of value," he said.

Howell said his investigators found fingerprints and a hair inside the vehicle of the kidnapping victim in Johnson City.

**sunshine** · 07-20-2004, 05:30 PM

OH my goodness. I remember several years ago a man was kidnapped from the Walmart in our area, forced to drive to Chicago (about 4 hours away), had cigarette burns on his neck and they stole his truck, but left him alive.