Four kidnapped siblings in Detroit were rescued at a traffic stop after police sensed something wasn’t quite right. This led the officers to ask the driver an unusual question that wound up saving the day!
Four siblings were kidnapped in Detroit while they were walking to school. A woman in a van pulled up beside them and told the children, ranging from 5 to 11, to get into the vehicle. And while the older kids knew better, the youngest hopped in before they could stop him.
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When the woman wouldn’t let the youngest child out, his siblings climbed aboard so they could help protect him.
"She preyed on my youngest one. The oldest one didn't want to leave his youngest brother," mother Shayla Burleigh explained. "He did what he had to do."
After the kids were in, the woman drove off with all four kidnapped siblings inside. Thankfully, though, she made one huge mistake. She ran a red light.
Detroit Police Sense Something Isn’t Right
Officers Parrish and Flannel saw the van run the red light and pulled the woman over. But when they noticed the kidnapped siblings in the back, they instantly felt like something wasn’t right.
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This feeling prompted the officers to ask the driver something they normally wouldn’t ask during a routine traffic stop. They inquired about the children in the vehicle.
"Are these your children? To which she said yes, and the children at the same time were shaking their head no," Detroit Police Chief James White later recounted.
The woman claimed to be rushing to get the kids to school. However, when the officers asked which school they attended, she “could not give a good answer.”
Officer Parrish and Officer Flannel then had the children get out of the van and asked them separately about the driver. And that’s when their suspicions about the kidnapped siblings were confirmed.
Thanks to the quick-thinking Detroit police officers, the woman was arrested and the children were returned safely to their terrified parents.
"I just thank everyone involved that my children are back home safe," said the mother of the kidnapped siblings, Shayla Burleigh.
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Thank God for the happy ending to what could have been a very tragic story!
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h/t: InspireMore
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/WXYZ-TV Detroit | Facebook/Detroit Police Department