According to the Gasconade County Sheriff's Office (GCSO), at 7:19 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27, Deputy Lane was on his way to work when he was flagged down by a good samaritan near the Strain-Japan School on Highway H near Sullivan.
The samaritan advised Lane that she had witnessed a motor vehicle accident and had a female and a young child in her car that was involved in the accident. The male driver of the vehicle involved in the accident was no longer on the scene.
Lane then notified the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office of the situation. Franklin County advised that the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) was notified of the accident and would be en route.
Lane then contacted the 27-year-old female — whose name is being withheld at this time — to determine if she or the child had been injured in the accident. The female advised that neither she nor the child was injured. Lane then asked for the child’s name but the female could not provide the child’s name and told Lane that she did not know the two-year-old child. The female told Lane that sometime prior to the accident she woke up and there was a child in the car.
Lane then notified Franklin County to provide an update on the situation. A short time later Lane was notified by the MSHP that the two-year-old — whose name is being withheld at this time — may be a kidnapping victim from St Louis. Lane was then provided with the name of the child along with a physical description. Lane was able to verify the child’s name and the clothing description was consistent with the information provided by the MSHP. The child was in fact a kidnapping victim. Deputy Lane was also contacted by a St Louis Metropolitan Police detective and provided the detective with a photograph of the child. The child’s identity was then verified by the detective. Lane remained on scene until troopers from the MSHP arrived. The investigation was then turned over to the highway patrol.
No further details are available at this time. The investigation by the MSHP and the St Louis Metropolitan Police Department continues.
