Police probe kidnap report

Published 10:06 pm Thursday, August 2, 2007

LYNNWOOD – A woman’s report that she was kidnapped outside Alderwood mall remained under investigation Thursday.

Detectives interviewed a Mill Creek woman, 35, again to follow up on initial reports she made Wednesday afternoon.

The woman told police an armed man on Wednesday forced her inside her car and made her drive to Lake Stickney.

She parked in a public landing on the north end of the lake. The woman reported that the man restrained her and then ran off.

A Snohomish County parks employee spotted the woman in the car and called 911.

The woman wasn’t injured, Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.

The report of the kidnapping left neighbors shaken.

“This is not a random incident,” Sessions said. “There’s no immediate danger to the public.”

Lynnwood police and Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies spent hours searching for a man who was described as wearing a wetsuit.

Police used dogs, a helicopter and a paddle boat to search the area and lake. No one was found.

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.