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Courtesy: Temple Terrace Police Department

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. – Police in Temple Terrace are investigating after a missing teenager said she was abducted and sexually assaulted by a man on Monday evening.

What we know:

Police responded to a report of a missing 13-year-old around 6 p.m. at the Doral Oaks Apartments.

Shortly after 9:20 p.m., while officers were still on the scene, the teenager arrived back home and said that a man she met earlier that evening forced her into a vehicle, took her to an unknown location and sexually assaulted her before dropping her off near Doral Oaks.

The backstory:

Police said the teenager was with several other juveniles at the apartment complex when they were approached by an unidentified man in a grey or silver Nissan Altima.

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The teens said the man asked if any of them would be willing to buy him food from Burger King if he gave them money.

Most of the group said no, but the 13-year-old said yes and was seen on security footage at the Burger King located at 8755 N 56th Street.

According to TTPD, when the teen went back to the apartment complex, she met with the man and gave him the food from Burger King.

The teen told investigators that the man forced her into a vehicle and took off.

Officers who went to the scene around 6 p.m. searched for the missing teen but did not find her.

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Dig deeper:

The teen described the man as a slender white man with blonde or sandy-colored hair and a reddish beard. She said he told her his name was Brian or Ryan and claimed to be 19 years old.

She also told deputies that his vehicle was a gray four-door sedan.

What’s next:

Investigators are working to identify a suspect.

What you can do:

They are also asking parents to talk with their children about not interacting with people they don’t know and to report any suspicious activity immediately.

Anyone with additional information regarding this case is asked to contact the Temple Terrace Police Department at (813) 989-7110.

The Source: This article was written with a press release from the Temple Terrace Police Department.

Temple TerraceMissing PersonsCrime and Public Safety