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Brave dad tracks down daughter ‘kidnapped by knifepoint’ on Christmas Day

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A hero father managed to track down his missing daughter on Christmas Day, thanks to a feature on his mobile phone.

His 15-year-old girl disappeared while taking the dog out for a walk in the town of Porter outside Houston, Texas.

The teenage girl was eventually found by her dad using the parental controls on his phone.

The technology led him to a ‘partially wooded’ area in Harris County, two miles from Porter.

There he discovered his daughter in a maroon-coloured pickup truck with a partially naked young man, police said.

After helping her escape, the heroic parent called emergency services who later caught the suspect.

Officers have arrested 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza after witnesses provided a detailed description of him.

Investigations found Espinoza had threatened the young girl with a knife after abducting her.

MCSO Arrests Porter Man for Aggravated Kidnapping and Indecency with a Child On December 25, 2025, at approximately 4:50 p.m., patrol deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff?s Office were dispatched to the 4000 block of Conner Mills Court in Porter, Texas in reference to a reported kidnapping of a 15-year-old female. Upon arrival, deputies learned that the victim had taken her dog out for a walk and when she did not return at her usual time, her parents became concerned. Using parental controls to locate the victim?s phone, her father traveled to a secluded, partially wooded area in Harris County nearly 2 miles away. The father located the victim and her dog inside a maroon-colored pickup truck with a partially nude 23-year-old male. The father helped his daughter escape from the truck and contacted law enforcement. Investigations revealed that the suspect had threatened the victim with a knife and abducted her from the street. Witnesses at the scene provided a detailed description of the suspect vehicle. Deputies were able to successfully locate the vehicle and identify the driver as 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza from Porter, TX. Detectives with the Montgomery County Sheriff?s Office Major Crimes Unit responded to the scene and continued their investigation. Espinoza was taken into custody without incident and charged with Aggravated Kidnapping and Indecency with a Child. He remains in the Montgomery County Jail at this time with no bond. Sheriff Wesley Doolittle stated: ?Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child. I am incredibly proud of our deputies and detectives who worked tirelessly to ensure this dangerous predator was swiftly apprehended and is now off our streets. Rest assured that your Sheriff?s Office remains vigilant every hour of every day to keep your families safe.? The investigation remains active and ongoing and no further information can be released at this time.
Giovanni Rosales Espinoza, 23, has been arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child (Picture: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office)

Espinoza remains in custody having been charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child.

The suspect is being held in jail and has been refused bond bail.

Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said: ‘Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child.

‘I am incredibly proud of our deputies and detectives who worked tirelessly to ensure this dangerous predator was swiftly apprehended and is now off our streets.

‘Rest assured that your Sheriff’s Office remains vigilant every hour of every day to keep your families safe.’

Enquiries into the kidnapping remain ongoing.

MCSO Arrests Porter Man for Aggravated Kidnapping and Indecency with a Child On December 25, 2025, at approximately 4:50 p.m., patrol deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff?s Office were dispatched to the 4000 block of Conner Mills Court in Porter, Texas in reference to a reported kidnapping of a 15-year-old female. Upon arrival, deputies learned that the victim had taken her dog out for a walk and when she did not return at her usual time, her parents became concerned. Using parental controls to locate the victim?s phone, her father traveled to a secluded, partially wooded area in Harris County nearly 2 miles away. The father located the victim and her dog inside a maroon-colored pickup truck with a partially nude 23-year-old male. The father helped his daughter escape from the truck and contacted law enforcement. Investigations revealed that the suspect had threatened the victim with a knife and abducted her from the street. Witnesses at the scene provided a detailed description of the suspect vehicle. Deputies were able to successfully locate the vehicle and identify the driver as 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza from Porter, TX. Detectives with the Montgomery County Sheriff?s Office Major Crimes Unit responded to the scene and continued their investigation. Espinoza was taken into custody without incident and charged with Aggravated Kidnapping and Indecency with a Child. He remains in the Montgomery County Jail at this time with no bond. Sheriff Wesley Doolittle stated: ?Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child. I am incredibly proud of our deputies and detectives who worked tirelessly to ensure this dangerous predator was swiftly apprehended and is now off our streets. Rest assured that your Sheriff?s Office remains vigilant every hour of every day to keep your families safe.? The investigation remains active and ongoing and no further information can be released at this time.
The young girl was found in a partially wooded area in a maroon pickup truck, police confirmed (Picture: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office)

Experts say the case underlines the importance of parents being able to track their children for their own safety.

Retired special agent Jim Cavanaugh said: ‘You’ve got to sit down with your teenagers and say to them that this is to keep them safe.

‘If you want someone to come and rescue you, having your location is critical.’

He added he would make the hero dad ‘father of the year’.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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