Mother Says Stranger Tried To Abduct Her Daughter From A Tupelo Street

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Fourth of July almost turned tragic for a Northeast Mississippi family.  They claim a stranger tried to abduct their 7 year old daughter, on a Tupelo street, in broad daylight.
Now, as police look for clues, the girl’s mother is doing all she can to help get the suspect behind bars.

It was a typical, hot fourth of July when Stephanie Hubbard noticed a car pull into her driveway.

“He turned around, and the little girls next door had been playing out here all morning, I stood in my window and he stopped right in front of the little girls, I notice he opened his door and grabbed one of the little girls,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard, who lives in the last house on the dead end street, says the suspect threw the 7 year old into his car, but the little girl’s friends began screaming, attracting the attention of adults nearby, who came out to confront the suspect, along with Hubbard. The suspect threw the 7 year old out of his car, onto the ground.

“When we all ran out at the same time, he had jumped into the car, sped off real fast,” Hubbard recalled.

Jeanne Zamora was at the store when her husband called , telling her to come to their friend’s home, they had been visiting on Independence Day.

“I got here, I asked where my daughter was, cause he was pacing the yard and he says she is inside scared, I said why? He said she was almost abducted, and of course I got really nervous and upset and called 9 1 1 because nobody had bothered to do that,” Zamora said.

Zamora says her 7 year old daughter, Jaslyn, was unharmed, but very afraid.  She says Jaslyn put up a fight, kicking the suspect and screaming, after he grabbed her.  Now, the grateful mother wants people to know there is a potential child abductor on the loose.

“Unfortunately the way the world is now you just can’t let your kids play outside like this, I was shocked, there being two to three children that he would do that, I’ve always taught my daughter to play in twos, obviously it didn’t deter him any.  I believe God is responsible for my child being safe because he could have very well taken off with her, something made him throw her on the ground and run,” Zamora said.

The suspect in the attempted kidnapping is described as an African American man,
bald, in his 40s and driving a silver Pontiac Grand Prix.  If you have any information, call Tupelo Police at 662 841 6491