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Minneapolis police officials say there's a possible link between the abduction of a 7-year-old girl earlier this month and a previously unreported abduction of another child in October.  

In both cases, the kidnapper or kidnappers later released the children and both incidents occurred in the fourth precinct, which includes the city's north side, Commander Catherine Johnson told reporters Monday.


Investigators are getting information but haven't made any arrests, she added.


"We are currently following a number of possible leads in an effort to identify the offender or offenders in these cases," Johnson said. "We have received some valuable tips from the community and strongly encourage them to continue to report those tips to us."

Johnson declined to release further details of the October abduction and she refused to comment on why that kidnapping was not reported right away.  

 is described as a white male in his mid-30s wearing a dark-colored coat with a horizontal stripe across the chest.


Police say the man approached the girl while she was playing in her front yard with several other kids and asked her to help him find his puppy and drove away with her in a small or midsized dark green four-door car. 

Johnson says the department will soon begin distributing flyers with a picture of the suspect throughout north Minneapolis. Anyone with information on the suspect is being asked to call the police department's tip line, 612-692-8477.

Crime, Law and Justice

Brandt Williams

Author

Investigators continue to follow leads but haven't made any arrests and continue to ask for the public's help.

Mpls. police: December, October child abductions may be linked

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