A Florida mother checking her 16-year-old daughter’s location on a tracking app noticed something troubling: The teenager was moving away from the thrift store where she had been waiting.
When she called, her daughter sounded distressed and said she couldn’t talk, according to an arrest affidavit. Deputies say the girl was inside a vehicle with a stranger who had taken her against her will.
Raymar Fraser, 41, faces charges of kidnapping, interfering with the custody of a minor and battery following the November 8 incident in Lauderdale Lakes.
The teenager told investigators she was waiting outside a thrift store around 10 a.m. when Fraser approached and began flirting with her. She said she clearly told him she was 16, but he continued pursuing her and offered to buy her breakfast.
According to the affidavit, Fraser took the girl by the waist, led her to his vehicle and told her to get inside. He allegedly pulled her into an embrace and kissed her despite her refusal, then moved into the driver’s seat and drove away.
The girl told deputies she could not leave and that Fraser instructed her not to open the door.
Meanwhile, her mother was watching her location through Life360. Seeing her daughter leave the shopping plaza prompted her to call repeatedly.
Investigators say Fraser drove the teenager to a 7-Eleven in nearby Tamarac. When she got out and tried to walk away, he allegedly grabbed her wrist and pushed her back into the passenger seat.
During a subsequent call, the girl told her mother she was with someone she didn’t know. Her mother instructed her to get out immediately.
The affidavit says Fraser stopped after the teenager asked to be let out. Her mother picked her up and contacted law enforcement.
Detectives used the location information to help retrace the girl’s movements and obtained surveillance footage from Wall2Wall Grillz, a jewelry business near the thrift store. The footage captured part of the encounter and became an important piece of the investigation.
Store owner John Lundy told NBC6 he did not understand what had happened until detectives asked to review his cameras.
When investigators contacted Fraser, he allegedly asked whether the girl was OK and said, “It’s not illegal to pick someone up.” Deputies said he later acknowledged pursuing her romantically after learning her age.
NBC6 reported that Fraser was being held without bond on the kidnapping charge and had been ordered to have no contact with minors. The charges are allegations, and he has not been convicted.
