A Rowlett teen says she was sexually assaulted in a park after being followed and forced into a vehicle earlier this week.[[322438202,R]]
According to police, a 15-year-old girl with Asperger's syndrome told her mother she was going for a walk just after 4 p.m. Monday. The teen, who wears an AngelSense GPS device that sends text messages with her location to her parents, then left their home on the 6500 block of Falcon Drive.
The child's mother said she received a text a short time later telling her that her daughter was in a location that was not recognized — the Lakes of Springfield Park at 5501 Antioch Drive.
The mother called into the GPS device, which is equipped with a microphone, and said she heard what sounded like a struggle. She then went to the park to find her daughter, but was unable to locate her.
The woman checked the GPS location again, and this time it indicated her daughter was closer to home near Rowlett and Hickox roads.
The mother found her child, who then told her she'd been assaulted by someone she didn't know and that he began following her on Magnolia Street. She said the man got her into his vehicle and drove to the parking lot at the park where the assault took place.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"He needs help. I don't know how you can do something like that to a child, to any child, and especially one who has a disability," said the child's mother, whose identity is being withheld to protect the identity of her daughter. "It's disgusting."
The victim provided police with a description of her attacker, whom she said was biracial, in his 20s, wearing a white T-shirt, blue or black shorts and Nike sandals. She said the man has a mustache and a tattoo of a circle with points coming off it that ran down the inside of his arm to his elbow.
The attacker was driving a mid-sized white car with gray or black interior that smelled of heavy cigarette smoke and had two car seats and a booster seat in the back, according to the victim.
On Monday, police released surveillance video of the car they believe attacker was driving. It's a white sedan, possibly a Nissan Altima or Maxima.
Detectives worked with Dallas Child Advocacy Forensic Interview Specialists to interview the victim.
"Additionally, we are following up on GPS data from the device," the police said in a Facebook post.
Rowlett police are asking for the public's help in identifying this individual. Anyone with information is asked to call the Rowlett Police Department at 972-412-6200 and select option no. 1 or email Lt. David W. Nabors at dnabors@rowlett.com.
NBC 5's Jocelyn Lockwood contributed to this report.
