On the morning of April 10, 2023, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 911 call from a mother who reported that she received a phone call from a man stating that he had kidnapped her 8-year-old daughter while she was waiting for her school bus in Prescott Valley.
The mother said that the man, who was speaking Spanish, was yelling, and demanded money from the family, or he would hurt her daughter. At one point he put what sounded like a little girl on the phone. The suspect caller attempted to get the family members to bring him money at a local Walmart before the mother hung up on him and called 911.
Fortunately, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) deputies were able to confirm that the child was safe and in class already. She indicated that no one had approached her either before or during school. Deputies investigated and found that the number from which the suspect called did not exist so there was no way to track him down.
Deputies responded to a similar call in late March in the Black Canyon City area, where a man speaking English with an Hispanic accent made similar threats and demanded money, but the person in this case did not have any children so was able to identify it as a scam right away.
YCSO is urging the public “to be aware of these scams and use caution when receiving calls or messages about kidnapping and demands for money. However, please report any suspicious calls the call to your local law enforcement and not automatically presume it is a scam.”