A kidnapped 22-year-old woman from Philadelphia was found alive 115 miles away in Maryland, with the suspect for the crime arrested by authorities.
Carlesha Freeland-Gaither was rescued in a parked car in Jessup, Md., where she was found with 37-year-old Delven Barnes, said Charles Ramsey, Philadelphia Police Commissioner, in a press conference.
Freeland-Gaither's abduction was recorded in a surveillance video, showing a man that stalked the woman through Philadelphia's Germantown before dragging her into a car.
A witness told the police that Freeland-Gaither was screaming for help while she was being kidnapped by Barnes.
Capt. Jayson Crawley, from the Charles City County Sheriff's Office in Virginia, revealed to the Los Angeles Times that the apprehended Barnes is also the lone suspect for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl in Richmond, Va., last Oct. 1.
Charges of forcible rape, attempted capital murder, abduction and malicious wounding were filed against Barnes for the case in Virginia.
According to Crawley, the authorities have concerns that the two incidents were not the only attacks carried out by Barnes.
Crawley told the Los Angeles Times that Barnes could have had multiple victims, as the suspect even showed Freeland-Gaither pictures of other girls that he claimed he also kidnapped. The authorities are hoping that, if the Barnes has other victims, they would come forward to testify against the suspect.
According to the local and federal authorities, when Freeland-Gaither was rescued, she was "in good shape" but with "some injuries."
However, while the case had a good ending with the rescue of the abducted woman, Ramsey said in the press conference that people and the media should respect the privacy of Freeland-Gaither and her family, as Freeland-Gaither had gone through excessive trauma in the three days wherein she was missing.
Keisha Gaither, the mother of the victim, expressed her thanks to the authorities and the community for the support that was extended to the search of her daughter.
The authorities also expressed their thanks to the people that called in tips which resulted in the identification of the suspect and the vehicle that was used to kidnap the victim. The police were also helped in picking up the trail of Barnes by the fact that Freeland-Gaither's ATM card was used in a machine located in Aberdeen, Md.
Freeland-Gaither and her mother had talked over the phone, but have not yet seen each other. According to her mother, Freeland-Gaither sounded very upset and was crying during their phone conservation, asking for her mother to pick her up.
"I'm going to get my daughter. I'm going to get my baby." Keisha Gaither said.
