8-year-old girl, mother thank hero who intervened in attempted kidnapping in North Carolina
Family of 8-year-old girl has chance to thank man who intervened in attempted kidnapping
Family of 8-year-old girl has chance to thank man who intervened in attempted kidnapping
Family of 8-year-old girl has chance to thank man who intervened in attempted kidnapping
The family of a child who police say was nearly kidnapped at a North Carolina restaurant and the man who intervened in that attempted kidnapping, have reunited.
Cody Byrd helped save an 8-year-old child during an attempted kidnapping at the Biscuitville in Greensboro on Dec. 27.
He then helped direct police to the suspect.
Timothy Fry was arrested for alleged first-degree attempted kidnapping and indecent liberties in connection with that incident.
The arrest warrant states that Fry intended to keep the child in “sexual servitude.”
Byrd said he goes to that Biscuitville multiple times per week. He said on that particular day, he noticed a man staring at a little girl. Byrd said he heard the child tell her mother that she had to go to the bathroom and then observed Fry follow the girl to the bathroom.
According to Byrd, Fry was standing outside of the men’s bathroom and later attempted to grab the child as she was coming out of the women’s bathroom. The little girl was able to get away from the man and run to her mother. Byrd then confronted the man, later identified as Fry.
Byrd took photographs of both Fry and Fry’s vehicle with his cellphone as Fry was driving away from the restaurant.
Greensboro Police Department leaders say those actions were instrumental in leading detectives to Fry.
“His actions definitely made the difference,” said Ronald Glenn, the public information officer for the Greensboro Police Department. “The actions that he took prevented the situation from being worse than it actually was. Because of his quick thinking and his effort to get the photographs of the suspect and his vehicle, it allowed the police to resolve this problem.”
On Tuesday, Byrd met up with the child's mother, Heather Owen, and the little girl he helped to save, Madeline.
“We’ve been thinking about you a lot,” Owen said to Byrd. “This is our world, so you saved our world. We can’t thank you enough."
Byrd said he was glad to see Madeline is doing well.
“My thing is I’m just glad to see she’s doing OK, honestly,” Byrd said. “I’m glad that the parents get to enjoy seeing that happiness with her and glad that laughter and smile is still able to shine on this world.”
Byrd and Owen plan to keep in touch moving forward.