Police in Minnesota have arrested three men who they say kidnapped a 15-year-old girl from her home a month ago, held her in captivity and repeatedly assaulted her until she finally escaped on Tuesday.
Jasmine Block was found injured but alive in rural Grant County, where she ended up after running away from her captors and swimming across a lake to freedom.
The Alexandria Police Department announced on its Facebook page on Tuesday that Block, who had been missing since August 8, was located earlier that day about 40 miles from her home in Alexandria.
During a press conference held on Wednesday afternoon, police revealed that they have arrested a 32-year-old man, a 31-year-old man and a 20-year-old man suspected of abducting Block and torturing her for 29 days.
Following her rescue, the 15-year-old girl was taken to Douglas County Hospital to be treated for ‘minor injuries’ and has since been reunited with her family.
Safe return: Missing Minnesota teen Jasmine Block, 15 (left) was found alive on September 5, after a month-long search. Her mother Sarah posted a selfie with Jasmine after their reunion (right)
Gone: Jasmine Block was last seen at her home in the 200 block of McKay Avenue North in Alexandria on August 8, as stated in this ‘missing’ poster
Block’s safe return recovery came a day after an anonymous donor added $5,000 to a $2,000 reward for information leading to her safe return.
Citing an ongoing investigation, police in Alexandria declined to provide any additional details on the circumstances surrounding Block’s disappearance and her eventual recovery.
The identities of the trio of people arrested in this case have not been disclosed, and police would not say how they were connected to the girl for fear of jeopardising ‘the ongoing efforts of the investigation.’
They promised to share more information on this case later in the day on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening, Jasmine’s mother, Sarah Block, shared a photo taken after she was reunited with her daughter.
It shows the 15-year-old wrapped in a blue blanket, standing next to her mother with a slight smile on her face.
Mrs Block also posted an update on a Facebook group dedicated to finding her daughter, saying Jasmine has been found and is safe.
Unanswered questions: Block was found in a rural area with minor injuries. Three people have been arrested in connection to the disappearance of the 15-year-old high school freshman (pictured left and right)
‘Please be respectful I will not be answering any messages or calls and do not post rumors Jaz and I will not tolerate that,’ she wrote.
In a follow-up post, Sarah Block thanked law enforcement officials for staying on top of the missing person case and even working on their days off to help bring her daughter home.
Mrs Block reiterated her request for privacy, writing that their family had been apart for four weeks and need their space.
‘God answers prayers!’ she said. ‘I am so damn proud of her [Jasmine] and so happy to have her home safe with us. Thank you all so much.’
Jasmine Block was last seen at her home in the 200 block of McKay Avenue North in Alexandria on August 8 at around 10.30pm.
The 5-foot-1, 110-pound girl had spent the day boating with neighbors, but returned home with a migraine headache, reported NBC News.
Her mother told Dateline last month that she saw her daughter laying on the couch in their mobile home before she went out that night. When she returned, the girl was no where to be found, but her cellphone was left behind.
Jasmine was scheduled to start ninth grade at Alexandria Area High School on Tuesday.