Milwaukee girl in custody, prosecutors weigh abduction charge

Milwaukee girl in custody, prosecutors weigh abduction charge

A court commissioner ordered that a 12-year-old girl remain in secure custody as prosecutors decide whether to charge her with abducting her younger brother.

MILWAUKEE - A court commissioner ordered that a 12-year-old girl remain in secure custody as prosecutors decide whether to charge her with abducting her younger brother.

Investigators are looking into allegations of abuse – and whether the girl was trying to protect her sibling.

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Missing children

The backstory:

Initially, Milwaukee police said the 12-year-old and her brother had been seen near 5th and Hadley on Tuesday night. Officers scoured the city looking for them and believed the girl was in an SUV and possibly had a gun.

Prosecutors said the two were gone for about eight hours, and police records show the girl was taken into custody near 48th and Hadley – more than 40 blocks west from where they'd been seen – on Wednesday morning.

Girl in custody

The backstory:

The 12-year-old girl appeared in juvenile court on Thursday afternoon, where she is charged with battery to a police officer. In the abduction case, prosecutors asked for a 48-hour hold.

Prosecutors noted that while the facts that support the abduction are clear, it's unclear when it happened, whether a firearm was used or threats of violence. They also noted there were allegations of abuse made against the children's caretakers, which the state and child services are investigating, and said what comes of that will have some effect on how the case proceeds.

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What's next:

The defense asked that the 12-year-old girl be placed with a relative. However, a judge ordered the girl detained to give prosecutors more time to figure out what is going on.

The girl is expected to be back in court on Monday.