GREENWOOD, Mo. — A father is warning others Tuesday night after a man pulled up to his front yard and tried to lure his young son into his van, twice. This man`s son was smart enough not to take the bait.
But without an arrest, this father is sharing his story in hopes of protecting other families. A game of catch in the front yard turned into a close call for his nine-year-old boy.
“I just went inside for two minutes,” Adam Cox said.
In that short time, Cox said a stranger pulled up to his driveway on Spruce Road in a red van and began talking to his son. The man said he had lost his puppy and offered the boy money to help him find the dog.
“It was just very unsettling that the guy had the nerve,” Cox said.
The boy didn`t buy the story and instead of getting in the van, he ran inside to tell his father what happened as the man drove off.
“It could’ve been one split second of the guy getting out of the car and grabbing him,” Cox said.
He reported it to the police, but Cox said the very next day, the same scenario with the same man happened again.
“If he’s that bold to come back twice, what else is he going to do? It’s kind of scary,” said neighbor Michelle Keck. “You don’t want to live in a neighborhood or society or anything where you can’t just let your kids play.”
Greenwood police are now looking into whether the attempted abduction is related to a similar report in Lee’s Summit. While they amp up patrols, they say the best thing you can do is talk with your kids about the danger of strangers.
Police say the man was driving an older model dark red Toyota Sienna minivan with the words “First Year Anniversary” spelled out on the back window. The boy described him as white, in his 40’s or 50’s with dark brown hair and a goatee. If you’ve seen him around, call Greenwood police at (816) 537-5020.
