Texas father uses phone tracking to rescue daughter after Christmas Day kidnapping

A Texas father used his daughter's phone location data to rescue her from an abductor on Christmas Day.

A Texas father rescued his 15-year-old daughter within hours of her abduction on Christmas Day by using the location data from her cell phone, a move authorities said helped prevent further harm and led to a swift arrest. The incident unfolded in Porter, about 25 miles north of Houston, and has drawn attention to how quickly the situation escalated and how fast it was resolved.

Using the phone’s location, the father traced his daughter to a secluded, partially wooded area nearly two miles from their home. (Pixabay/ Representational)

According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the teenager had taken her dog for a walk around 4:50 pm local time and failed to return home. When she did not come back, her father alerted police and accessed the parental controls linked to her phone, officials said.

Tracked by phone

Using the phone’s location, the father traced his daughter to a secluded, partially wooded area nearly two miles from their home, authorities said. There, he found her and the dog inside a maroon pickup truck with a “partially nude” man, according to police statements cited by CBS News and the New York Post.

Investigators said the father helped his daughter escape the vehicle and then called law enforcement. Deputies later identified the suspect as 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza and took him into custody without incident.

Police said the teen had been threatened with a knife and forced into the truck.

Espinoza has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child and is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail, officials said.

Sheriff condemns attack

“Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child,” Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said in a statement shared by authorities. He praised deputies and detectives for their response and said the suspect is now off the streets.

CBS reported that the teenager is recovering with her family. Relatives told local media they did not know the suspect and are grateful she was found safely.

An investigation into the case is ongoing, police said.