A shocking story has emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, where a 19-year-old man is accused of abducting a 7-year-old girl right from her bed. The man, Jeremiah Smith, is now facing charges of especially aggravated kidnapping, according to court documents.
The terrifying incident took place in the early hours of November 6 at an apartment complex on Johnson Avenue. Around 4:05 a.m., officers from the Memphis Police Department responded to a call about a child abduction. When they arrived, the child’s mother explained that her young daughter had run into her room, saying someone had taken her from her bed and carried her outside. Thankfully, the brave little girl managed to escape her kidnapper and return home safely.
The child shared her frightening experience with police. She described how a man, dressed in a dark hoodie and black pants, entered her bedroom, covered her mouth, and carried her to a nearby basketball court. She said she struggled free from his grasp but was picked up again before being pushed to the ground. In a moment of courage and quick thinking, the girl escaped a second time and ran back to her apartment.
Surveillance footage from the area confirmed her account. Investigators saw a man wearing a brown hoodie and black pants during the attempted kidnapping, matching the description given by the child.
Weeks later, on November 24, the child’s mother called the police again. She reported that the same man suspected of taking her daughter was outside her house early that morning, around 5:40 a.m. This time, a neighbor named Juan Cathey stepped in. Cathey, who had a surveillance camera, noticed the suspect lingering near the same spot where the kidnapping had occurred weeks earlier. When confronted, the suspect claimed his aunt lived nearby, but Cathey, knowing his neighbors well, called his bluff.
Cathey didn’t stop there. He tried to lure the man closer to his security cameras and got a clear view of his face. Thanks to his quick thinking, Cathey later identified Jeremiah Smith in a police lineup as the man he had confronted that morning.
Smith was arrested and is now in the Shelby County Jail, with bail set at $150,000. He’s expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on January 15.
This case has left the local community shaken, but the courage of the young girl and the attentiveness of her neighbor played a critical role in ensuring the suspect was caught.