'The bad guy was going to get me,' says girl of attempted kidnapping


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SALT LAKE CITY — Police were investigating an attempted kidnapping Tuesday in a Rose Park neighborhood.

It all happened in an instant. Tasha Kranendonk's son was playing with a bow and arrow at their home near Autumn Avenue and American Beauty Drive, when he shot an arrow over a fence. Not realizing where the arrow had landed, Kranendonk allowed her 3-year-old daughter Abigail to accompany him.

"He went around the block, and she was outside by herself," Kranendonk said.

Kranendonk was in the house just before 2:30 p.m. when she heard Abigail scream and tires squeal. She ran out of the house, and found her daughter running toward her.

"She had marks on her arm from someone grabbing her," Kranendonk said. "She said, 'The bad guy was going to get me.'"

Abigail told Salt Lake police the man was large and wore glasses, but other than that, they don't know much. So far, no other abductions have been reported, and none of Abigail's siblings saw the suspect.

Abigail's father, Brandon Kranendonk, said his daughter reported there was a woman in the vehicle who sent a man out to get her.

"It was terrible, I wanted to come home from work," he said. "I'm still worried, yes, because we've never had this kind of problem in this neighborhood. We live in kind of a little cozy area here."

Brandon Kranendonk said his family is "one of the lucky ones," and he hopes the attempted abduction was a one-time occurrence — a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident is asked to contact the Salt Lake Police Department at 801-799-3000, or by sending anonymous texts to CRIMES (274637). Begin messages with the phrase TIPSLCPD.

Contributing: Devon Dolan

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