Young Girl Reportedly Kidnapped From DC Airport, Is In Extreme Danger Authorities Say
Virginia police issued an Amber Alert Thursday, August 2, for a 12-year-old girl from China who went missing from her tour group in the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, saying she may be in danger.
JinJing Ma came to the U.S. with a tour group that was ready to depart to the West Coast after sightseeing in Washington and New York, according to CBS. The young girl received her passport prior to checking in, then after she told her group she needed to use the restroom, she left.
When the tour group began to walk through security, they noticed the young girl was missing.
According to security footage capturing the moments after her abduction, around 8:15 a.m. she met up with an unknown, middle-aged, Asian female. After meeting with the abductor, both the woman and girl changed clothes in the bathroom then walked to the arrival area of the airport before disappearing from camera view.
Seen wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black jacket before disappearing, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police chief David Huchler said they believe Ma is in extreme danger.
“Because of the age of the child, this is a very serious incident.”
Authorities believe her abductor is around 5-foot-2 and 130 pounds. However, she was not alone. Police said there was a male subject driving the vehicle Ma got into and left in. The vehicle, identified as a white, Infinity SUV, 2016 or 2018 model, has New York license plates. Authorities are still trying to identify the vehicle’s license plate numbers.
Huchler suggests Ma may have gone with her abductor willingly.
“The child appears to have left without any force,” Huchler said. “She entered the vehicle without any force, but that does not release any of our concerns.”
Reagan Airport released photos of the male and female suspects around 10 p.m. Thursday night hoping to receive tips through social media to find the young girl.
August 2, 10pm update on the #AmberAlert: tonight, MWAA Police released photos of the male & female suspect, as well as the vehicle (a 2016 or 2018 Infiniti QX70). Anyone with any information which may be helpful in finding Jinjing Ma should call police at 703-417-2400. pic.twitter.com/Hs1q1sI2J6
— Reagan Airport (@Reagan_Airport) August 3, 2018
Police say a couple approached Ma while with her group sightseeing on the property of the World Trade Center in New York, believing in their connection to her abduction. Investigators say there is some familiarity between Ma and the couple who allegedly abducted her, but they are unsure, according to NBC.
A witness later told police he saw a woman meet up with Ma in New York, bringing her food. It is still unclear if the woman who approached the young girl at the airport is the same woman who approached her in New York with her group.
The FBI, Virginia state police, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are investigating Ma’s disappearance. Police said they are working to contact Ma’s guardians in China and any family she has in the U.S.
