A young female apparently was abducted as she walked along a highway in a western Minnesota town by several people in an out-of-state vehicle, authorities and a man who saw the incident said.
The incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Monday on Hwy. 7 at Miles Street in Appleton, according to a crime alert distributed by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
According to the alert and a statement from the Swift County Sheriff's Office:
A 911 caller who was outside nearby reported that a "younger looking female wearing a white poofy coat," black pants and a white hat was yelling for help as she was being forced into a dark-colored Ford Explorer with at least three people and which had South Dakota plates.
The SUV then sped south on Hwy. 7 out of Appleton, which is about 25 miles east of the South Dakota border.
"At this time, there has not been anyone reported missing from Appleton or Swift County," the Sheriff's Office statement read. "We have exhausted all leads at this time."
The 911 caller, Jeremy Monn, of Waconia, was visiting his birth mother in Appleton and saw what he said was "no doubt" an abduction.
Monn said that the female, who appeared to be in her late teens or possibly about 20 years old, was walking south on the right shoulder of Hwy. 7 when the SUV came up from behind, slammed on the brakes, slid and came to a stop right beside her."
