HOUSTON – Police released a sketch Friday of a man believed to have kidnapped a boy last month as he walked to school.
According to Houston police, the 13-year-old boy was walking westbound in the 7600 block of Tidwell Road about 8:15 a.m. Oct. 18, when a white van stopped next to him. The driver asked the boy if he needed a ride to school.
Police said that the boy thought the van was one that picked up children to go to school, so he got into the front passenger seat. The driver then inappropriately touched the boy and offered him money to perform sexual acts. When the boy resisted, the man then tried to force the boy to touch his lap.
VIDEO: Police give updates into kidnapping of 13-year-old boy
Investigators said that when the van stopped at a red light, the boy rolled down the window, opened the door from the outside and ran away.
"The best description that I have of it is that it's similar to a van that someone would use to drive a child to school. So, based on that, like a 15-passenger van where there might be multiple bench seats. We're looking more for a utility van. We can exclude minivans," Adam Bock, with the Houston Police Department, said.
The man was described as black, between 40 and 50 years old, with a medium build, brown eyes, a bald head and a distinctive double chin. He was last seen wearing navy blue cargo shorts and a black Polo shirt.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.
Police scheduled a news conference about the case for 10 a.m. Friday.