Michigan Boy Uses Slingshot To Save Little Sister From Kidnapper

Alpena, MI – A 13-year-old boy defended his little sister from a kidnapper last week after repeatedly shooting the would-be abductor with a slingshot, according to police.

The incident occurred at a residence in rural Alpena Township in northern Michigan on May 10, the Manistee News Advocate reported.

Investigators said an eight-year-old girl was hunting for mushrooms in the backyard of her family’s home when a stranger emerged from the woods, according to the Michigan State Police (MSP).

The suspect allegedly snuck up behind the girl, grabbed her, and covered her mouth, leading to a struggle, according to WPBN.

Police said the girl’s 13-year-old brother witness the attacked and grabbed his slingshot, the Manistee News Advocate reported.

The girl was able to break free of her abductor just before her brother used his slingshot to shoot the suspect in his chest and head, according to investigators.

The suspect fled the scene, but police soon tracked him down at a local gas station using the descriptions provided by the children and another family member who saw the kidnapper running away from the property, the Manistee News Advocate reported.

Investigators said the suspect, a 17-year-old male, had “obvious signs of injury sustained from the slingshot with wounds to his head and chest” when he was apprehended.

MSP troopers transported the teen to the agency’s Alpena Post, where he allegedly confessed during an interview that he was planning on “severely beating” the little girl after kidnapping her, the Manistee News Advocate reported.

It is unclear why he chose to target the girl.

“You know, you wouldn’t think in this world that if you were playing in your own backyard or on your own property that you would be concerned about something like this,” MSP Lieutenant John Grimshaw told WPBN. “But it just goes to show that there’s evil out there, and it can find anybody, anywhere.”

Lt. Grimshaw said the victim’s brother likely saved her from harm and he praised him for heroically protecting her.

“He really is the one that I believe saved his sister’s either life or from something seriously bad happening to her,” the lieutenant told WPBN.

He said the preteen’s quick-thinking and decisive actions were nothing shy of “extraordinary.”

“He should be commended for it,” Lt. Grimshaw added.

The suspect was booked into the Alpena County Jail on charges of attempted assault to do great bodily harm less than murder, attempted kidnapping/child enticement, and one count of assault and battery, according to The Detroit News.

His bond was set at $150,000 cash surety, the Manistee News Advocate reported.

The suspect is being charged as an adult and is due back in court on Wednesday.

The MSP said his identity will not be released due to him being a juvenile, the Manistee News Advocate reported.