Gardena Police Announce Arrest In Connection With Sexual Assault, Kidnapping Of 2-Year-Old Girl
GARDENA (CBSLA.com) — Gardena Police announced the arrest of a Torrance man in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 2-year-old girl.
Michael David Ikeler, 36, was taken into custody on Thursday, April 9, after the young victim had been kidnapped from a self-serve car wash, located at 14929 Western Ave. in Gardena.
Detectives had identified a possible suspect vehicle as a white 4-door Nissan Altima with tinted windows.
The community provided an unprecedented response, according to a release by Gardena Police. More than 50 citizen-volunteers searched the neighborhood near the crime scene.
The victim was located in a parking lot in the City of Cudahy about two-and-a-half hours after she was reported missing, and Sheriff's deputies responded to collect and take care of the child, before taking her to a local hospital for treatment.
The victim's family reunited with the girl at the hospital.
Several tips were called in to the Gardena Police Department over the course of less than a week, leading detectives to Ikeler.
Police say Ikeler altered the look of his vehicle after the crime, and that scientific evidence, including DNA, links him to the incident.
In fact, police said they only announced the arrest on Wednesday to spend the subsequent time to bolster their case against Ikeler and make it ironclad.
"Our detectives are so thankful to the public," said Gardena Police Lt. Steve Prendergrast,"and the person who called us."
On Wednesday, police released the 911 call where the girl's frantic mother first reported her missing.
Police said Ikeler circled the car wash and many the little girl wandered away, he abducted her.
On the 911 call, the mother says, "I heard a scream and then when I cam around to see her...I heard her say 'Mom' and that's when I turned around to see her washing and she was gone."
Ikeler has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault on a child and kidnapping.
KCAL9's Andrea Fujii reported that Ikeler has been arrested previously in Northern California and Arizona but not for crimes involving children.
No one answered the door in the home where Ikeler reportedly lives. Neighbors told Fujii he rents rooms in the home with a teenage daughter.
"I've got a daughter almost her age, you know what I mean," said neighbor Phil Lago, "if I did something like that, something heinous like this, I could imagine what this would put them through."
