Alleged abduction, rape under investigation

Detectives are investigating the reported abduction and rape of a 17-year-old girl in Hayden.

Multiple law enforcement agencies and Spokane County's Air 1 spent nearly four hours late Monday searching for an alleged suspect in a wooded area near the victim's residence, near the intersection of St. James Avenue and Strahorn Road. The search was unsuccessful.

"Based upon our very preliminary investigation, KCSO wants to assure the community that at this time we have not been able to validate reports that a man forcibly removed the girl from her home. The investigation is ongoing at this time," stated a press release issued Tuesday by the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office statement said the victim's father told deputies he called police after finding his teenage daughter's room empty and signs of a struggle.

A few minutes after the father's call, the 17-year-old girl called 911 and stated she had been abducted, forcibly removed from her home and sexually assaulted by a man she did not know. The girl told deputies the man fled into a wooded area.

Deputies found the girl in a wooded area near her home. She was transported to Kootenai Health for a medical evaluation and later released to her parents.

KCSO Major Crimes Detectives responded to the residence and Kootenai Health. Detectives conducted interviews and extensively processed the scene.

Further details will be released when they become available.