+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

Louisiana sanitation workers helped rescue a missing 10-year-old girl from a suspected kidnapper's car

Feb 12, 2021, 01:02 IST
Insider
A view of the "Police Line- Do Not Cross" tape marking the parameter of a temporary field hospital to treat covid-19 patients set up in Central Park by "Samaritans purse" a charitable organization working with Mount Sinai. on April 07, 2020 in New York City, United States. COVID-19 has spread to most countries around the world, claiming over 80,000 lives with over 1.4 million infections.Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
  • Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine, sanitation workers in Louisiana, helped rescue a girl on Monday.
  • The girl disappeared from a family member's home on Sunday, and police issued an Amber Alert.
  • Merrick and Antoine spotted a car described in the Amber Alert on Monday and called police.
Advertisement

Two sanitation workers in Louisiana helped rescue a 10-year-old girl from a suspected kidnapping on Monday.

Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine, workers for Pelican Waste, called police after spotting a car in the middle of a field in St. Martin Parish that had been described in an Amber Alert they received, according to CBS News.

The girl had been reported missing on Sunday afternoon from a family member's home in New Iberia, Louisiana.

In an Amber Alert about her disappearance, police said the kidnapping suspect, identified as Michael Sereal, was last seen driving a Nissan Altima.

When Merrick and Antoine spotted the Altima while on their shift early Monday morning, they pulled their garbage truck over to block the car in a field and called 911.

Advertisement

Merrick then documented the arrival of police and officers taking Sereal, a registered sex offender, into custody on Facebook.

Sereal is facing charges of aggravated kidnapping, police said.

"I didn't want anything to happen to her," Merrick told NBC News. "We're all from the same town. We're a big community, it might be a small town, but we're a close-knit community so I had to do what I had to do for my community."

The 10-year-old girl was reunited with her family after the ordeal.

According to CBS News, police offered to buy Merrick and Antoine lunch as a thank you for helping them find the girl.

Advertisement

Their company also thanked them for finding the girl, too.

"HUGE shoutout to our employees, Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine, for their vigilance in helping this missing 10-year-old girl return safely to her family. Way to go guys!!" the company wrote on Facebook.

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article