A man is behind bars after Sansom Park Police said a six-year-old girl who went missing from her home was found inside his apartment. 35-year-old Javier Alejandro Cruz Cavazos is charged with kidnapping.
Officers responded to a missing persons call in the 2900 block of La Junta Street at the Sansom Bluff Apartments on March 22. The call was about a missing child, according to police.
Sansom Park Police said authorities from Fort Worth, White Settlement, River Oak, Westworth Village, and Castleberry ISD Police responded to help with the search of the little girl.
"The initial call said the child was autistic and nonverbal, which created a more pressing issue when she is lost," said Officer T. Downes with the Sansom Park Police Department.
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While officers looked for the child, they learned that she was inside someone's apartment. Police told NBC 5 the little girl's family, who had joined the search, found her there and an altercation between the family and Cavazos followed. Police said the man had no relations to the family of the little girl, and their discovery spurred an investigation.
"And when they found the child, a disturbance occurred between the subject that was arrested, so members from our agency were able to go in and calm that chaotic situation and stop any further disturbance," said Officer T. Downes.
Cavazos was arrested on an endangerment charge, which was later upgraded to kidnapping. Police told NBC 5 Cavazos was staying with a friend at the apartment, but was not a resident at the complex.
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Police said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges could come down in the coming days.
MedStar confirmed paramedics transported the child to Cook Children's Hospital Friday to be evaluated.
Neighbors told NBC 5 that the family of the six-year-old was in the process of moving into the apartment complex that day when the child was reported missing from the home.
The investigation is still ongoing.
