Kidnapped daughter, 6, of South African F1 racer reunited with family
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 6-year-old girl ripped from her mother’s arms by a gang of masked men outside a school in South Africa has been safely reunited with her family, officials said Tuesday.
Amy-Leigh de Jager was abducted Monday morning outside Kollegepark Primary School in Vanderbijlpark, a city located about 45 miles south of Johannesburg, Missing Children of South Africa said in a post on Facebook. The four men allegedly grabbed Jager from her mother and drove off in a white Toyota Fortuner.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Shortly after Jager’s abduction, her father, F1 powerboat racer Wynand de Jager, received a call demanding a $132,000 ransom for his daughter’s safe return, South African daily The Times reported.
Police launched a manhunt in the wake of the kidnapping, employing hostage negotiators and tracking teams, the paper reported.
But Jager was suddenly found about 2 a.m. Tuesday on a street corner where the alleged kidnappers dropped her off, her aunt, Louise Horn, told the paper. A couple heard the girl crying and took her to a police station. She appeared unharmed, Horn said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It was the longest 19 hours of our lives,” Horn said. “We are really glad she's back with us.”
Amy Leigh de Jager asked for a hamburger and her brother after she was reunited with her family, her aunt told The Times. (Missing Children of South Africa / Facebook)
The six-year-old was taken to a local hospital for a medical examination, the South African Police Service said in a statement.
“The investigation into her disappearance and sudden reappearance is still on-going,” police said. “It is our appeal that this investigation be allowed to take its course.”
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Horn told The Times that after Jager was reunited with her parents, “the first thing she asked for was a burger and her brother.”
No ransom had been paid, according to Horn.