An ordinary walk home turned frightening last Thursday when a man grabbed an 8-year-old girl near the intersection of Natural Bridge Road and Clearview Drive in St. John, according to police. The child had been walking with her brother when he briefly stepped away. The man let her go and ran off after the girl screamed and her dog started barking. Investigators say the suspect took off heading south on Clearview Drive, and the St. John Police Department is asking nearby residents and business owners to review their security footage.
What police say
St. John investigators say the incident happened between about 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. last Thursday, when an unknown man approached the girl at the intersection and grabbed her while her brother was inside a nearby store, according to First Alert 4. Police say the girl was able to get away after her dog barked and she screamed, and the suspect then ran southbound on Clearview Drive.
Suspect description
Police describe the suspect as a white man believed to be in his 30s with brown, unkempt hair and blue eyes. He is said to have an eagle tattoo on the top of one hand and a possible scar on the front of his right lower leg near the ankle. He was reported to have a gold tooth and possibly another missing tooth. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a blue button-up collared jacket with a hole in one shoulder, a red shirt, black cargo shorts and flip-flops. A resident told officers they had seen a man matching that description coming out of the shrub-lined island along Clearview Drive about three weeks earlier. “Because this investigation involves a young child and is still in its early stages, the St. John Police Department is intentionally limiting the release of certain investigative details,” the department said, per First Alert 4.
How to help
Authorities are asking anyone who was in the area between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. last Thursday and who has residential or business surveillance footage to contact investigators. Tipsters can reach the St. John Police Department at 314-427-8700, or after hours, the St. Louis County non-emergency dispatch at 636-529-8210. The department also encourages residents to register their cameras through its camera-registration program, according to the City of St. John.
Safety tips for families
Parents can lower risk on everyday walks by accompanying younger children, choosing well-lit, busy routes and practicing simple, clear safety phrases kids can shout while running to a trusted adult if they feel unsafe. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that many children are not ready to cross streets alone until around age 10 and suggests practicing specific walking routes together while cutting down on distractions like phones and earbuds, which can also make neighborhood walks safer, per HealthyChildren.org. Anyone with information about the St. John incident is urged to contact the St. John Police Department.
