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(UPDATED) Miscommunication Leads to Kidnapping Investigation at After School Program

Update on 11/18: After investigation of the incident, detectives have determined that an emergency contact was in fact attempting to pick up the children on behalf of their parents. The children were not in any danger and detectives have closed the case.

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Seattle police are working to identify a man who attempted to abduct two children from an after school program Thursday on Queen Anne.

Around 3:40 PM, the suspect approached a staff member at an after-school program housed at Coe Elementary, in the 2400 block of 7th Ave. W, and said he was there to pick up two children.

The suspect, who knew the full names of both children, claimed he was there to pick up the kids’ on behalf of their father, who was having car trouble.

The staff member followed the after school program’s child safety protocols and told the suspect he needed to show ID in the program’s office before signing the children out for the day.

The suspect never showed up at the office, so staff contacted the kids’ father. After the father told employees his car had not broken down and he had not sent anyone to pick up his children, staff members called police.

Staff described the suspect as a white male in his late 40s to 50s, 5’10-5’11, 180 pounds, medium to heavy build, wearing a beige winter coat, a dark beige baseball cap, with gray hair, stubble, and squinty eyes.

Police are looking at several leads in this case and continue to investigate.