Texas officials released police bodycam footage video showing officers as they rescued an 8-year-old girl, who was ripped from her mother’s arms and taken in broad daylight.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the little girl was walking with her mother in the Ryan Place neighborhood of Fort Worth in May, when 51-year-old Michael Webb snatched the child. The child’s mother tried to stop Webb, but he pried the girl away, forced her into his car and sped away.
The first video captured the kidnapping as it took place in front of a homeowner’s doorbell camera.
The second video, released on Monday, showed several officers as they quickly gained access to a room at Forest Hill’s WoodSpring Suites, around eight hours after the kidnapping.
Court documents indicated that authorities found the little girl hiding under clothing in a tiny laundry basket inside the room. Forest Hills police searched the same hotel hours earlier that night, yet didn’t find the child until their second trip back to Webb’s room.
Webb later confessed to the kidnapping. He admitted to the FBI that after he pried the girl from her mother, he took the child to the hotel, carried her into his room and held her captive.
“I scoped it out pretty good and, and I know I missed somebody, because when I pushed the woman and grabbed her, I heard somebody screaming,” Webb told investigators, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
In September, a federal jury in Fort Worth found Webb guilty of kidnapping. A judge subsequently sentenced him to life in prison.
“We believe that justice has been served in this case. And we are thankful for and agree with the Judge’s decision to sentence him to life in prison,” U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox said. “My hope is that this family and this community will find solace in knowing that he will never be able to harm another little child again.”
The girl’s parents released a statement after the child’s rescue, thanking Fort Worth authorities for finding and returning the little girl. They also thanked the community, including Jeff King, a volunteer who spent hours looking for the girl.
“The biggest thank you goes to the people of Fort Worth and surrounding areas that made her return possible…. We feel we owe a debt that can never be repaid.”
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[Feature Photo: Screenshot/Fort Worth PD bodycam]
