COLUMBUS — An Ohio mother is demanding answers after police released her 12-year-old daughter during a traffic stop, despite the girl being reported missing for days.
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Megan Dunn reported her daughter Chloe missing to Columbus Police on July 16.
However, a cell phone video taken by a bystander shows officers releasing Chloe during a traffic stop at Livingston and Fairwood, our news partners at WBNS reported.
“Disgusted. I was sick to my stomach,” Megan said. “They let her go. I have video footage of her and these officers, and they let that little 12-year-old girl that’s been reported missing go. It’s not OK. None of this is OK,” she added.
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Daeja Rutland recorded as police pulled two women and a man from a black Chevy Malibu.
It wasn’t until the next day that Rutland realized the young girl in the video might be Chloe.
“I got on Facebook and the first thing I saw was that little girl’s face, and my heart stopped,” Rutland said.
Megan expressed concern about police negligence in handling her daughter’s case.
“She provided a wrong name and provided a false age of 15. The officers called her out on that, and she eventually provided her correct name,” Sgt. Joe Albert of the Columbus Police Department said.
Albert said that the officers arrested the adult male with a felony warrant but released Chloe and the adult female.
The police were unaware of the traffic stop’s significance until the cell phone video was sent to them, leading to Chloe being found by police two hours later.
“I want an apology. I want you to say, you know what we failed you and your family,” Megan said.
The Columbus Police are conducting an internal investigation into the actions of the officers during the traffic stop.
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