Girl Snatched Off Street Found in Texas Hotel

Salem Sabatka, 8, was snatched right off the street
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted May 19, 2019 5:15 PM CDT

"We Got Her!" Those must have been sweet words for a Texas mother who had seen her 8-year-old girl snatched off the streets of Fort Worth on Saturday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Thanks to surveillance video, social media, and two local church members, police were able to tweet the good news after rescuing Salem Sabatka from a hotel. It all began when Salem was out walking with her mom Saturday evening and a passing car pulled her in, per KTVT. The mom tried jumping inside to save her, but a man pushed her back and sped off. Then hours ticked by as authorities searched for Salem and released surveillance video of the suspect vehicle.

Police say the case broke after two church members saw the grey Ford Five Hundred in a hotel parking lot, CNN reports. Officers went to the WoodSpring Suites hotel in Forest Hill, figured out the car owner's room, and entered it. Inside they found Salem in apparently good condition and arrested the suspect, 51-year-old Michael Webb, who faces a possible charge of aggravated kidnapping, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Police say he is unrelated to the girl. "We had citizens that went out of their way and help not just the Police Department but a family put some great closure to what we have going on right now," said Fort Worth police Officer Buddy Calzada, who later added: "These guys are our heroes.” (More kidnapping stories.)

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