Cops: Phila. abduction suspect hit prior victim with shovel
CHARLES CITY COUNTY, Va. -- The man suspected in a Philadelphia street abduction caught on video had been wanted for abducting a teenage girl in Richmond early last month, allegedly striking the Virginia victim with a shovel and pushing her into his trunk.
The Richmond teen managed to escape as the suspect, 37-year-old Delvin Barnes, was allegedly digging her grave. According to CBS affiliate WTVR, he allegedly asked the girl how she wanted to die.
Barnes is also suspected in Sunday night's Philadelphia street abduction of Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, 22. Freeland-Gaither was seen on surveillance video being forced into a car by an assailant around 9:40 p.m. Sunday night.
Officials with the Charles City County Sheriff's Department in Virginia, where Barnes is wanted in the abduction last month, recognized a used-car dealer's name on a traffic-camera image of Barnes' vehicle. After tipping federal authorities off to Barnes' identity, they asked the dealership to turn on the vehicle's GPS unit, said sheriff's Capt. Jayson Crawley.
He said the dealership sells to customers with poor credit and routinely puts GPS devices on its vehicles so they can be easily located and repossessed if the owners fall behind on the payments.
Officials were able to use the GPS tracking device to locate the suspect and Freeland-Gaither Wednesday afternoon in the car in Jessup, Md. Freeland-Gaither, who had minor injuries, was treated at a hospital and released and re-united with her family.
Crawley said Thursday that the Virginia girl remains hospitalized with third-degree chemical burns.
CBS affiliate WTVR reports the Richmond teen was reported missing by her family Oct. 1, and showed up at a business outside Richmond Oct. 3, naked, bleeding, covered in burns and reeking of bleach and gasoline. According to the station, Barnes took the teen to his Charles City County property, and she was able to escape.
The business was two miles from Barnes' home, reports the station. Barnes had previously worked at a grocery store in Henrico, WTVR reported.
Police ran DNA samples and got a hit with Barnes, who has an extensive criminal history in the Richmond and Philadelphia areas, reports the station.
The Virginia charges against Barnes are attempted capital murder, abduction, forcible rape, malicious wounding, malicious wounding with a chemical, and intimate object penetration, reports WTVR.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said he's thankful Freeland-Gaither was rescued, according to the station.
"Had she not been recovered and rescued as quickly as she was," he said, "we don't know what the outcome would have been with her either."
"Right from the night of the kidnapping, the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI have been working tirelessly to try to solve this case," said Ed Hanko, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia Division at a press conference Wednesday night, according to CBS Philly. "With the help of the media and many, many citizens who called in tips, we were able to identify this individual, identify his car, and track it into Maryland."
Delvin Barnes appeared calm Thursday as he appeared in court in Baltimore County, Md., only answering "yes sir" or "no sir" to the judge, reports CBS Baltimore. By Nov. 12, he will be extradited to Virginia to face the charges in the teen's abduction.
Federal charges are expected in the Freeland-Gaither case, an FBI spokesman told 48 Hours' Crimesider.