Father Questioned in 5-Year-Old's Abduction

NBC10 News learned police questioned the father of a five-year-old girl who was abducted from her school on Monday

NBC10 learned that on Wednesday night Philadelphia police questioned the father of a five-year-old girl who was abducted from her school on Monday. She was found alive Tuesday morning, by a man police called a hero for his actions.

"They wanted me here for a second interview, that's it, just to make sure my story is consistent," Terry Robinson told NBC10's Daralene Jones in an exclusive interview.

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Robinson said his daughter is recovering "and I'm working to recover myself and so is the family. It's a hard process, knowing that the person who committed this act to my child is still out there."

He said he had no idea who is behind the abduction, but "they wouldn't have brought me down for a second interview if things weren't working themselves out."

"I'm standing here saying my son is a good son," Terry Robinson's mother told us earlier in the night. "Right now, my son feels lost, helpless, because he couldn't help his daughter."

The Special Victims Unit announced Wednesday that they are searching for a man and a woman they believe had something to do with the crime.

One of the suspects, according to police, is the woman that went to Cullen Byrant Elementary on 60th and Cedar Avenue and signed the kindergartner out of school around 8:50 a.m. on Monday.

The woman claimed to be the 5-year-old's mother to school employees. She told them that she had to take her daughter to breakfast and was allowed to take the child from the school, the family told NBC10.

Authorities describe the suspect as a dark-skinned black woman in her 20s, standing 5-foot-8, wearing Muslim garb, who may have been pregnant. They also believe she has green or light eyes and may go by the name "Rashida."

They say that the suspect and victim walked away from the school and met with a man several blocks away at a nearby home.

That man, Police Captain John Darby says, is now a suspect.

He is described as a light-skinned, possibly white male, in his late 30s, with short, brown hair. He was last seen wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeved blue T-shirt. Police also say there may have been other adults involved.

Authorities believe the child was taken to a home not far from the school. They have narrowed the area down to a four-block radius with the school being the central point. That area is Spruce to Christian Street and 56th Street to Cobbs Creek Parkway. They are now going door to door with a description of the alleged abductors.

While in captivity, the victim was blindfolded and told to undress, according to police. She was given an adult T-shirt and at one point, was made to hide underneath a bed, Darby announced in Tuesday's press release.

Police believe the victim was targeted and say she was asked for by name at the school.

The girl, who was found on a 69th Street playground by good Samaritan Nelson Mandela Myers, was missing for less than 24 hours.

Sources tell NBC10 the child was kept in a home overnight and that other children were also inside the home.

"Based on the evidence given to us, this little girl suffered conditions that no child should endure," said Captain Darby during the press conference.

"She's traumatized," said the victim's grandfather Asim Abdur-Rashid. "She's 5 years old and she's been out all night. She's been away from her mother, sisters and brothers and she's traumatized."

Detectives spent about 15 minutes inside the family's home Wednesday afternoon. Sources tell NBC10 they took the girl back to the playground on 69th Street where she was found. Detectives are hoping she can remember any detail that will help them figure out who abducted her. The girl returned home late Wednesday afternoon. Relatives of the girl tell NBC10 everyone is hoping that the person or people who abducted her are caught soon.

The Fraternal Order of Police is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The Citizen Crime Commission is offering an additional $5000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

If you have any information on this incident, please call the Philadelphia Police.

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