Man Charged After Allegedly Abducting a 7-Year-Old Girl After She Got Off Her School Bus

A Minnesota man has been charged after authorities say he abducted a 7-year-old girl shortly after she got off her school bus.

The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said in a press release on Thursday, Jan. 22, that Joseph Andrew Bragg, 28, was arrested and charged in connection with the child’s disappearance.

Investigators allege the incident happened around 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 21, when the girl stepped off the bus that brought her home from school in Zimmerman, Minn. According to the SCSO, her family reported her missing around 6:30 p.m. after she didn’t return home.

“An extensive search by law enforcement, first responders and the public didn’t reveal her whereabouts, and investigators had no corroboration that she had potentially left the area in a vehicle until hours later,” SCSO Commander Ben Zawacki said in the release.

Authorities sent out a community notification just after 9:30 p.m., describing a “black passenger car that was following her school bus.” The SCSO later said investigators determined that vehicle was not connected to the case.

An Amber Alert was issued at 11:40 p.m. after investigators concluded the girl had likely been abducted.

Not long after, detectives said their investigation and technology helped them identify a white Dodge Ram as the “suspect vehicle.” An emergency alert was then sent to law enforcement agencies at around 12:30 a.m.

Roughly 30 minutes later, Freeborn County notified the SCSO that deputies had located the truck and found the child inside. Authorities said the girl was “safe,” and Bragg was taken into custody.

Police said during a press conference, per local news outlet KARE, that Bragg did not have a significant prior criminal history. However, investigators said multiple local mothers reported receiving messages from the 28-year-old on social media after he responded to an online post seeking a nanny or babysitter.

The SCSO said it plans to investigate why Bragg traveled to Zimmerman and how the girl was targeted.

“This is every family’s worst nightmare,” Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at the press conference, per KARE.

Evans urged parents to speak with their children about safety around strangers—both in person and online—and to reinforce school pickup and drop-off rules.

“We want to make sure that everybody across Minnesota continues to do just what we saw in this community today. When a child goes missing, we come together. We work together,” Evans added.