Cops: Dad Foils Abduction of 5-Year-Old Daughter

A parent is always listening, even in the wee hours of the morning. A 5-year-old girl in Sandy, Utah, can be thankful for her mom and dad's aural senses after they heard their front door open around 4:30am Friday; her father jumped out of bed and confronted a man outside who had allegedly dragged his daughter out of the house, KSL reports. Police say 46-year-old Troy Morley broke into the home, went into the basement, and snatched the sleeping child. When the father approached him outside the house, Morley fled without the girl, reports Fox13. Police found Morley in a nearby home that he entered through a dog door—fitting, since he was subsequently subdued by a police K-9.

Morley was taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for dog bites and was set to be booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Officials don't know if Morley actually knew the girl or her folks or if he stumbled onto her during a random break-in, but either way, they're glad that her father was able to successfully intervene. "It's probably one of a parents' worst nightmares … someone trying to abduct their child, especially out of their own home," a police sergeant tells KSL. (A Philly woman was thankfully rescued from her alleged abductor.)