A 20-year-old “monster” snatched a Pennsylvania girl from her bedroom, then stashed her in a wooden chest at his grandparents’ home, police said.
Thomas Andrew Dewald was charged Monday with multiple felonies including kidnapping after 4-year-old Gemma Moats was abducted last week from her Waynesboro home, Chambersburg Public Opinion reported.
The girl’s father reported her missing around 3:30 a.m. Thursday when he noticed her bedroom door was ajar and she wasn’t in her bed.
Six hours later, Gemma was discovered on the side of the road by a passerby after she escaped from Dewald’s home more than a mile away, officials said. She was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation and was found to be unharmed.
During police interviews, the tot reportedly described being brought to a red brick house. Police interviewed the homeowners of a residence matching the description near where she was found.
The owner told police her grandson, later identified as Dewald, had been living with them and she heard a child crying that night inside his room. However, the grandmother said she was unable to locate the source of the wailing, police said.
Investigators searched the residence and discovered locks of hair similar to Gemma’s inside a large wooden chest, the Chambersburg Public Opinion reported.
During the search, Dewald allegedly returned to the house, then admitted kidnapping the tot. He told police he abducted the girl at random after scouting for toys in front yards.
Dewald also admitted masturbating near the girl when he brought her back to his bedroom.
Police said he bound her with tape and put her in the wooden chest, but when he returned, she was missing from the home.
State police Lt. Randy Kane thanked law enforcement agencies Monday for working tirelessly “to bring this monster to justice,” according to PennLive.
Dewald also faces charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, criminal trespass, indecent assault and reckless endangerment.