Isabel Hicks, (pictured), a 14-year-old girl from Virginia who authorities believe could have been abducted by her mother’s ex-boyfriend, was found safe on Wednesday night
A 14-year-old girl in Virginia believed to have been abducted by her mother’s ex-boyfriend was found safe on Wednesday night.
Isabel Hicks and her alleged abductor Bruce Lynch were stopped in a car in Caroline County. Another driver saw the suspect’s vehicle and immediately contacted police, WTVR reported.
The teenager and 33-year-old Lynch did not appear to be injured and an Amber alert for information on her whereabouts was cancelled by police.
‘The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office is happy to report that the vehicle with Isabel Hicks and Bruce Lynch was located and stopped in Caroline County after a pursuit,’ Louisa County Sheriff’s Detective Chuck Love said.
‘Bruce Lynch was taken into custody and Isabel Hicks was located and appears unharmed.’
Meanwhile Lynch’s mother had made a desperate appeal to her son to hand himself in to authorities earlier on Wednesday.
Lisa Harper saw the pair late on Monday night when they arrived at her home and knocked on the door. She told CBS 6: ‘I told them they can’t be here – they’re wanted,’ Harper said.
Isabel Hicks and her alleged abductor Bruce Lynch, (pictured), were stopped in a car in Caroline County after another driver spotted the suspect’s vehicle and called police
‘I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. My eyes got real wide and I told him he has an ultimatum. Either turn himself in or I’m calling the police.’
Lynch and Hicks ran into the woods and Harper called police, she claims. Within minutes officers showed up to conduct a search of the area.
Isabel Hicks was last seen in her family home in Louisa County before she disappeared sometime after 1am on October 21, say investigators.
FBI from the Richmond division had joined the search for the child and Lynch. It is unknown at this time whether Isabel went with the man willingly.
Lynch was considered to be armed and potentially dangerous. Authorities had asked anyone who came across the pair not to approach them but call police.
Investigators claimed that Hicks and Lynch had managed to avoid detection by camping in wooded areas.
Louisa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the car with Isabel Hicks and Bruce Lynch was located and stopped in Caroline County after a pursuit on Wednesday night
Isabel Hicks was last seen in her family home in Louisa County before she disappeared sometime after 1am on October 21, say investigators
Officers said the child was in the company of Bruce Lynch, a 34-year-old white male also from Bumpass, who formerly dated Isabel’s mother, Courtney Lewis (right) for a number of years, dating back to at least 2014
Police haven’t confirmed the connection between Hicks and Lynch, however posts on social media show that Lynch was at one time dating Isabel’s mother, Courtney Lewis – between at least 2014 to 2017 – and has known the girl since she was nine-years-old.
Lynch is believed to have been driving a silver blue Toyota Matrix, with a Virginia licence plate reading ‘VEM-9071.’
A picture shared by the Louis County Sheriff’s Office showed Lynch and Isabel together on what appears to be a family vacation or outing.
Lynch’s mother Lisa Harper had made a desperate appeal to her son to hand himself in to authorities
Courtney Lewis broke down in tears as she pleaded at a press conference in Virginia on Thursday night for her 14-year-old daughter, Isabel Hicks, to return. ‘Isabel, I love you and I want you to come home,’ the girl’s mother said. Her brother Blake Saylor also appeared
Meanwhile, Isabel’s mother and older brother appeared alongside law enforcement officials at a press conference to plead for the teenager’s safe return last week.
‘Isabel, I love you and I want you to come home,’ the girl’s mother, Courtney Lewis, said, wiping away tears. ‘And just let me know you’re OK.’
‘We miss you very much and we want you to come home,’ the girl’s brother, Blake Saylor, said. ‘Please just let us know you are safe however you can. I’m still your big brother and I’ll love you forever. I just need my best friend back. Please contact me however whenever you can.’
Lynch was said to be driving a silver blue Toyota Matrix, with a Virginia licence plate reading ‘VEM-9071’
FBI from the Richmond division had joined the search for the child and Lynch. It is unknown at this time whether Isabel went with the man willingly
Isabel’s mother, Courtney, has also posted on Facebook several times since her daughter vanished.
On Monday, 14 hours after she was reported missing, she said: ‘Please, please all hunters around us please go check your land he took camping/hunting gear so they may be in the woods.’
Lynch’s cousin, Matthew Lynch, told DailyMail.com he hasn’t seen Bruce since 2016 but says the 34-year-old doesn’t have any sort of criminal past which he knows of.
‘He’s always been very mild nature and very kind that I know,’ Matthew said. ‘I tried to reach out to him after I was sent some information [about the disappearance] but he never opened nor responded to my message.’
Matthew said Lynch appeared to be online less than an hour before he sent the message at 12.50pm Monday, but he hasn’t been online since.
‘So my thought is I hope it’s just a misunderstanding,’ he continued.