COLUMBUS - Columbus police said Friday that the report of an attempted child abduction may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Police said in a press release that a man contacted the department Thursday evening after seeing media reports of a young child who reported a man tried to lure her to his vehicle by claiming he was her grandfather. The child said she ran to a nearby house and the man drove away.
Law enforcement searched the area but was unable to locate a suspect.
Police issued a statement on Facebook on Thursday morning informing the public of the incident and requesting residents in the area review their security camera videos for help identifying a suspect.
The mystery may have been solved later Thursday evening when a man contacted police.
"The 69 yr old male advised police that he had stopped for what he believed to be was his grand-daughter who was walking down the street," a press release states. "He had not seen his grand-daughter in sometime due to a falling out with family. The driver does not reside in Columbus, but owns property that is up for sale and he had come to work on it."
Police said they are still investigating the man's statement, "but it appears that this was a case of mistaken identity." The man is cooperating fully with law enforcement.
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