Police are looking for a backpack and cellphone that a Santa Fe College student lost when she was kidnapped Thursday evening.
The 18-year-old woman, who is safe after jumping out of the kidnapper's truck later that night, dropped a couple of her possession while trying to fight off the suspect in the Santa Fe College parking lot.
Two men were seen riffling through the light-colored backpack before taking it Thursday, according to an Alachua County Sheriff's Office statement released Saturday afternoon. They aren't believed to be connected to the kidnapper, who remains at large.
The suspect forced the woman into his pickup truck by holding a gun against her. The victim, whose name has not yet been released, later escaped. She jumped out of the truck when it was stopped on Northwest 39th Avenue and ran toward a neighborhood, Sheriff's Office spokesman Art Forgey said.
A resident from the 1200 block of 39th Avenue called 911 around 7:50 p.m. Thursday reporting that a woman was screaming for help. The victim last saw the suspect driving west.
The victim is unsure of the man's race, but she said his complexion is dark, according to a Sheriff's Office statement released Friday night. The suspect stands somewhere between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 11 inches, and he is in his late 20s or early 30s.
He has short hair, an unshaven face and a right hand marked with a tattoo on the back, according to the Sheriff's Office. He was wearing a dark hoodie and jeans when he committed the crime.
The search began when the woman's parents called the Santa Fe College Police Department around 6:30 p.m., Forgey said. They noticed something was wrong when their daughter wasn't home in time for dinner.
The parents told SFPD where their daughter normally parks, and officers found evidence of a struggle near her car.
The suspect's pickup truck is small and a dark color, Forgey said. It has dark-tinted windows and a gray interior.
Anyone with knowledge of the kidnapping should call the Sheriff's Office at 352-955-1818. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 352-372-7867.
Composite sketch of Santa Fe College kidnaper. The suspect stands somewhere between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 11 inches, and he is in his late 20s or early 30s. Courtesy of Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
