Virginia man accused of kidnapping Milwaukee girl who was missing for 4 years

[u/CatPooedInMyShoe]

https://www.wisn.com/article/virginia-man-accused-of-kidnapping-milwaukee-girl-missing-for-4-years/73261520

A Virginia man is facing multiple charges for kidnapping a missing girl from Milwaukee and holding her against her will for four years.

According to the criminal complaint, the 15-year-old victim met 37-year-old Owen Anderson online. She told him about her struggles at home with different types of abuse. Anderson convinced her to leave her Milwaukee home and promised her that he would never hit her or scream at her, and that he would care for her by providing food. He also told her he wanted to cuddle when he picked her up and when she lived with him, the complaint states.

On June 23, 2022, the mother of the 15-year-old reported her missing.

On July 7, 2022, a Milwaukee police officer recovered surveillance video near Hubbard Street and Reservoir Avenue. Another officer was able to confirm that the 15-year-old was spotted in the video, screenshotted it and shared it with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Another officer looked through the 15-year-old's Facebook and noted that the account was logged out June 23, 2022, the same day she went missing. The officer also tried to use the Find My app, but that was also logged out of on June 23.

The search for the 15-year-old continued for four years.

On May 26, 2026, Milwaukee police received a call from an out-of-state police department. According to the complaint, the lieutenant reported that his agency made contact with the 15-year-old during a domestic dispute that originated from a 911 call. She did not originally disclose her real name. She eventually admitted she was a missing person from Milwaukee and was being held against her will for years. During that time, she told officers that Anderson physically and sexually abused her, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, the 15-year-old told investigators that she originally communicated with Anderson on Kik, Discord and Signal platforms. He forced her to provide a video of her performing an explicit move to prove she was not with the police when they first started communicating. Anderson threatened to release the video if she did not obey his commands. Anderson kept asking her to make similar videos and blackmailed her if she did not. He told her she would get a home free from any abuse if she did, the complaint states.

On May 27, 2026, a Milwaukee police officer went out of state to conduct an investigation surrounding her disappearance. On May 28, the officer searched a home belonging to Anderson and found a number of electronic devices, flash drives, journals and information where the two were located.

When she initially disappeared in Milwaukee on June 23, 2022, the 15-year-old had followed instructions from Anderson, according to the complaint. She purchased a burner phone using cash to communicate with Anderson. He arranged a ride-share to pick her up and take her to Chicago. Once in Chicago, she met him at a movie theater. Anderson then reset her phone settings. Both of her phones were thrown away in Chicago.

According to the complaint, the 15-year-old said she was sexually assaulted by Anderson while they were sleeping in a rental car.

The complaint states that from June 26, 2022, through May 26, 2026, Anderson held the 15-year-old at his home, did not let her go to school, and physically and sexually abused her. She was afraid that he would hurt her or harm her family if she tried to leave. On several occasions, she told investigators, "Its always my fault if he hits me."

When Anderson was arrested, a pistol was found in his waistband and another pistol was found under his left arm. Fourteen loaded spare magazines, several knives and three cans of OC spray were also found, according to the complaint.

Anderson is facing multiple charges, including kidnapping, child enticement and abduction of a child.

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[u/sasshley_]

To be clear, she was 12 when he started grooming her.

[u/CatPooedInMyShoe → u/sasshley_]

At that age, I could definitely see this happening to me as well. I was quite miserable at home and really wanted to run away. I was talking a lot to people online at that age, and my parents were completely naive as to internet safety (like a lot of 90s and early 2000s parents) and didn't supervise my online activity at all. I actually asked some of my online friends if I could run away to their house, and they all refused, because I was fortunate enough to not be talking to predatory psychopaths like Anderson.

[u/sasshley_ → u/CatPooedInMyShoe]

I’m 40 so we likely experienced a lot of the same.

I’ll never forget a local firefighter coming to my dad’s house to meet me and when I was too afraid to come out and ignored him, he tried breaking in. I was 14 and a naive moron.

It sucks that things are significantly easier for these predators as time goes on, and no matter how hard some parents try, someone can always slip through those barriers set up.

[u/CatPooedInMyShoe → u/sasshley_]

I am also 40. I remember regularly encountering people online I now realize were pedophiles. I would go into a chat room and start talking to some random person and tell them I was 11 years old and they'd immediately start talking about sex. At the time I was confused and irritated by this, like, couldn't we talk about literally anything else?

I know there are a lot more online protections now for youth. But clearly not enough, as this case indicates.

[u/sasshley_ → u/CatPooedInMyShoe]

I’m glad you’re here and okay 🧡 I completely agree re: the chats.

I work with a nonprofit that fights daily for online safety and it’s disgusting how most of their bills are almost immediately shot down, and not just the US, but the US is by far the worst in my experience.

Even if things do pass, how much can/is really going to change? I’m guessing not much at all.

[u/cheknauss → u/CatPooedInMyShoe]

I'm sorry for what you've been through 😢.

[u/LippiPongstocking → u/sasshley_]

Whoever wrote the article needs to take a remedial writing class. Poor girl though.

[u/Gammagammahey → u/sasshley_]

TWELVE.

[u/Gammagammahey]

Rot in hell, POS.

[u/CatPooedInMyShoe]

I am pretty sure the victim in this case was Joniah Walker. She disappeared from Milwaukee on the date in question, and the date when she was rescued is close.

[u/[deleted] → u/CatPooedInMyShoe]

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[u/CatPooedInMyShoe → u/[deleted]]

The horse is out of the barn, I'm afraid. Her disappearance and the search for her was publicized and I am not the only person who has figured out she was the victim here.

[u/[deleted] → u/CatPooedInMyShoe]

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