Feds charge New York man in kidnapping of 13-year-old girl in Reading
Sep. 23—Federal prosecutors have charged a New York man with breaking into a Reading home, abducting a 13-year-old girl, and taking her to his Brooklyn residence in late August.
Duane Taylor, 47, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with the kidnapping of the girl, 13, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia announced Thursday.
Taylor allegedly took the girl from her bedroom in the early morning hours of Aug. 31, and brought her to Brooklyn.
Taylor was taken into custody Aug. 31 at his Brooklyn residence, and made his initial appearance in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Thursday, according to U.S. attorneys.
The girl was found safe shortly after Taylor's arrest, and reunited with her mother — Taylor's former boyfriend, U.S. attorneys said.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Reading Police Department, and the New York City Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sherri A. Stephan.
According to court documents and statements from Reading police:
On the morning of Aug. 31, Reading police responded to a call from the girl's mother that the girl was missing from her bedroom, where her mother had last seen her around 10:30 p.m. the evening prior.
Police found the chain lock on the back door of the girl's home was broken.
Investigators reviewed footage from the home's security system, which showed a man, later identified as Taylor, entering the house at about 2 a.m., and climbing the stairs leading to the girl's bedroom.
Cameras then showed Taylor escorting the girl out of the house, then carrying her to his vehicle and placing her in the rear cargo area.
Reading investigators contacted New York City police, who traced Taylor to his apartment, where he was taken into custody around 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31.
The girl was not at Taylor's residence when police arrived.
She was found later that day in a different area of Brooklyn, after a bystander called 911 to report a child alone and asking for help because she had been abducted.
Police took the girl to a hospital for observation, where she was reunited with her mother.
"Imagine one morning finding your home's door broken open and your child's bed empty," said Jacqueline Maguire, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "It's a parent's worst nightmare come true. We're so thankful that this young victim was recovered safely, and for the great collaboration by law enforcement partners in locating and arresting her alleged abductor. Anyone who would harm a child like this is simply depraved and must be held accountable."
If convicted, Taylor faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
