Handley , Kanawha County , West Virginia

Fear once again running rampant for parents as another police investigation is underway involving an alleged attempted abduction.

This is the fifth reported attempted abduction in our viewing area in roughly the last two weeks. This time, the suspect allegedly went after two young boys walking home in Handley in Kanawha County, Tuesday night.

"Everybody's seeing this guy and he's not getting caught," says Phillips McBrayer of Handley. He's been following news reports of alleged attempted abductions that are striking fear in the minds of parents and their children.

"It was enough to scare him half to death," he said of the incident.

Now, it's his family that's fallen victim. McBrayer says just before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, a man chased his 12-year-old son and 10-year-old nephew as they were walking along Route 61 in Handley.

"He was chased, he was scared and I ain't never seen him scared before," he said.

The boys ran up a set of steps and say the man turned around. Handley Police responded and set out to find the man, but came up empty handed.

Kanawha County sheriff's deputies say the reports that have been circulating between Mingo, Wayne, and Kanawha Counties are hard to connect, but the added caution is absolutely necessary right now.

"Very few where all of the descriptions have matched up but it doesn't mean that people shouldn't be aware of everything and everybody," explains Lt. Bryan Robbins.

A white van has been spotted at some of the kidnapping attempts, but the boys weren't able to see if the man got in one in this incident.

"You may have more than one individual in the area with an agenda. It may be, too, that people are overly aware right now and that's fine," said Robbins.

McBrayer says his eyes have been opened, and his kids won't be out alone, and says other parents need to be on high alert.

"This dude's out there and he's out to do harm to somebody," said McBrayer.

The boys say they were only able to see that the suspect was wearing a hoodie pulled over his face, and jeans.

If you have any information about the incidents, call the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office at 304-357-0169.

How To Contact WCHS-TV8 | Privacy Policy | FCC Public File | Terms and Conditions | DMCA Policy | Frequently Asked Questions

Home | Eyewitness News Newsroom | Storm Team Weather | Eyewitness Sports | Schedules

---

Send email to news@wchstv.com for information or comments concerning WCHS-TV Eyewitness News.

Copyright ©2013, WCHS-TV8. Portions are
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.