Deputies arrested a 23-year-old Porter man on charges of aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child.
PORTER, Texas — A 15-year-old girl was abducted while walking her dog on Christmas Day, then found minutes later after her father used parental controls to locate her phone in a wooded area, authorities said. Deputies arrested a man identified as 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza.
Officials said the case began late Thursday afternoon and moved quickly from a missing-person report to a criminal investigation as location data led family and deputies to a secluded spot near the Montgomery–Harris county line. Investigators say the teen is safe and receiving support. Espinoza was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and faces felony counts of aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child. The arrest capped a chaotic holiday incident that drew multiple patrol units, detectives and crime scene technicians as neighbors watched from driveways and street corners in this unincorporated community north of Houston.
Deputies said the call came in shortly before 5 p.m. Dec. 25 from the 4000 block of Conner Mills Court, where the girl had taken her dog for a routine walk and did not return at the expected time. Her parents began checking her phone’s location using a built-in control feature and saw it moving away from the neighborhood. The girl’s father drove toward the signal and found a maroon pickup parked off a quiet road nearly two miles from home, according to authorities. He opened the truck door and helped his daughter out while the family’s dog jumped free. “The timing and the information from the phone made a difference,” Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said in a statement, adding that deputies converged on the area within minutes.
Investigators said the teen reported that a stranger forced her into the pickup at knifepoint as she walked on the street. The father told detectives he saw a partially undressed man inside the truck when he arrived. Witnesses gave deputies a description of the vehicle that matched the maroon pickup, helping officers identify the suspected driver as Espinoza of Porter, officials said. Detectives with the Major Crimes Unit processed the truck and interviewed the teen and family members. Authorities said the girl was not physically stabbed, but medical personnel evaluated her and evidence technicians collected items from the vehicle for laboratory testing. Officials said some details, including how long the suspect drove and whether he spoke to the teen before the abduction, remain under review.
Records show Espinoza was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Montgomery County Jail. As of Saturday, he was being held without bond on the two charges. Under Texas law, aggravated kidnapping is a first-degree felony when the victim is younger than 17 or a deadly weapon is used. Indecency with a child by contact is also a felony offense. Prosecutors will determine whether to seek an indictment once detectives complete interviews and submit forensic results. The sheriff’s office said additional charges could be considered if credible evidence supports them, but none had been filed by press time.
Neighbors on Conner Mills Court said patrol cars circled the subdivision into the evening on Christmas. “It shook everyone because we all know each other’s kids,” said Blanca Ramirez, who lives a few houses away. In the wooded area where the truck was found, tire ruts cut into the dirt shoulder and a broken branch lay beside the turnout. A utility worker who passed the spot Friday morning said the road is “usually empty after dark” and easy to miss if you do not live nearby. Sheriff Doolittle said his office has increased patrol presence in the area through the weekend and thanked residents who called in tips within minutes of the initial alert.
Authorities said the investigation remains active. Detectives are reviewing nearby doorbell cameras and seeking additional witnesses who may have seen the pickup on Dec. 25 between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. Espinoza’s first court setting will be scheduled after prosecutors file the charging paperwork with the district clerk, officials said. Evidence from the truck is being logged and forwarded for analysis, and investigators expect to submit their initial case report to prosecutors early next week.
Author note: Last updated Sunday, December 28, 2025.