Amanda Lowther: Ohio Mom Makes Desperate 911 Call After Two-Year-Old Daughter Is Snatched From Her [Audio]
A call made to 911, moments after a two-year-old toddler was snatched by a stranger outside a resident in Lorain, Ohio, has been released. According to ABC News, the apparent incident of kidnapping happened on Wednesday when two-year-old Lana Lowther was snatched by an unidentified individual who still remains at large. The desperate call made by Lana’s mom Amanda Lowther, was obtained by ABC affiliate WEWS News and has now been made public. The nearly six-minute-long clip is embedded below. In the clip, Amanda is heard desperately asking for help from the 911 operator as she sobs and describes what happened.
“My daughter is missing and she’s only 2,” Amanda cries seconds after a 911 operator receives her call. She then tells her that a man “grabbed her hand and ran away with her.” Amanda also adds that the young child thought her father had arrived after she heard the sound of a truck outside and went to investigate. She then asks her elder daughter, who saw the incident happen, if she saw the man who took Lana away, to which she said no.
The dispatcher asks if Amanda thinks the child was taken by a neighbor, to which she answers, “All my neighbors are outside now.” The 911 dispatcher assures that they would be sending a K-9 unit to track the child. At the end of the call, Amanda Lowther confirms to the dispatcher that police officials have arrived. On several occasions, the 911 dispatcher is heard trying to reassure Amanda that they would find her daughter.
“Take a couple deep breaths, they’re going to find her,” the operator tells Amanda several times during the call.
Help also came from social media posts like the ones embedded below.
MISSING: 2 year old Lana Lowther in Lorain, OH around 8:45pm. Last seen in pink footed pajamas.
3ft tall & 30 lbs pic.twitter.com/1LaXxn9Gja— Scott Taylor (@ScottTaylorTV) February 18, 2016
Baby Lana Lowther has been found. Thanks for the RTs! #Ohio #missing https://t.co/pl0Zp9XlDl
— Dawn M Gibson (@DawnMGibson) February 18, 2016
The Lorain Police Department then launched a search operation at the end of which little Lana Lowther was found. The child was reunited with her family after four harrowing hours. They have not yet managed to trace the unidentified man who took Lana away. Lana was found wandering unaccompanied in the snow by a local resident at around 1:15 a.m. local time. The child was quickly taken to safety and was treated for exposure. The toddler was taken to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital where she was treated and released Thursday morning. Lana is expected to make a quick and full recovery soon, officials from the Lorain Police Department said in a press release. The press release further said,
“The Lorain Police Department believes that the condition of this child is not consistent to being exposed to last night’s frigid conditions for more than four hours, and it is very possible that this child was released by an unknown person(s)… shortly before she was rescued,”
The man who found Lana wandering alone has been identified as Andrew Tornabene, who called 911 to report to them that Lana was crawling in the snow. Lana was found just four blocks away from her home. According to Tornabene, he was heading home after work when he decided to take a detour and help search for Lana about whom he had heard in the news and social media posts. To his surprise, he did manage to find the missing girl and recognized her immediately. Tornabene is now being hailed for his alertness which quite possibly saved the toddler’s life.
Meanwhile, a hunt is on for the man who took Lana away. Amanda’s daughter said she did not see the face of the man who took Lana away, but added that he was “wearing dark clothing” at the time of the incident.
[Image Via Pixabay]
