10-Year-Old Girl Escapes Would-Be Kidnapper By Using 'Code Word'

Maddison Raines and a friend were walking near a park when a stranger approached them in a white SUV and said Maddison's brother had been in a "serious accident."

November 14, 2018
Brenda James and her daughter Maddison Raines [Good Morning America/YouTube (screenshot)]

Brenda James and her daughter Maddison Raines [Good Morning America/YouTube (screenshot)]

Brenda James and her daughter Maddison Raines [Good Morning America/YouTube (screenshot)]

By: Catherine Townsend

Related To:

PINAL COUNTY, AZ — A 10-year-old Arizona girl has been praised by police after her clever use of a “code word” saved her from a kidnapper.

Last week, Maddison Raines was walking near a park with her friend when a stranger in a white SUV approached the children.

Maddison said that the man shielded his face and told her that her brother had “been in a serious accident.” He insisted that he had been sent by Maddison’s family to pick her up.

But instead of getting into the car, Maddison asked the stranger what the family’s “code word” was.

Unable to answer, the stranger drove away.

“He just kind of froze, his face. And drove off,” the fifth-grader told Good Morning America. “I was scared, because if I would’ve hopped in, I didn’t know what he would do to me.”

Maddison ran home immediately and told her grandmother what had happened.

Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb praised Maddison’s parents in a Facebook post.

“Kudos to the parents of this child for having a code word and talking about to their children about stranger danger,” he said. “We hope by putting this out, it will encourage parents to have that conversation and create a plan with their children, so they know what to do if they are in that situation.”

Read more: People

Next Up

Accused Child Molestor Jason Hines Is On The Run From Arizona

Investigators say Jason Hines is a "master manipulator" with a number of tattoos featuring skulls on his body. He could be meeting women on dating websites, especially those with young children. If you have any information on where Jason Hines is hiding out, please text our hotline. John Walsh guarantees you can remain anonymous: 833-378-7783 (3-PURSUE).

Amber Alert Canceled After Abducted 13-Year-Old Girl Escapes Kidnapper

A 13-year-old girl was kidnapped from her home in Reading, Pennsylvania on Aug. 31, 2022. Later that day, the girl was found over a hundred miles away.

Woman Kidnapped At Age 6 Reunited With Her Mother Almost 14 Years Later

Jacqueline Hernandez located her mom in Florida and reached out on social media.

Kayla Unbehaun, Missing Since 2017, Found Safe In Asheville

Kayla Unbehaun was abducted from Illinois by her biological mother, Heather Unbehaun, on Independence Day 2017. 6 years later, she was found safe in North Carolina.

Father Who Abducted Son Suspected Of Traveling The World To Avoid Capture

Last sighting of the father and son was in October 2009 in a hospital in Melaka, Ayer Keroh, Malaysia.

Navajo Nation Girl Assaulted, Killed After Man Kidnapped Her While She Was Playing

Tom Begaye Jr. left the 11-year-old child to die in the desert after “repeatedly hitting her on the head and face with a tire iron.”

Neighbors And Police Team Up To Rescue 6-Year-Old From Kidnapper

Within minutes of the child being snatched, 911 was called and more than a dozen officers launched to the scene. The child was found and reports said 40-year-old Robby Wildt was arrested.

Arizona Police ID ‘Little Miss Nobody’ Found Dead In Desert In 1960

More than six decades after the body of a child was found in the Arizona desert, police have confirmed her identity through forensic genealogy.

Man Arrested After Ring Camera Captures Attempted Abduction Of 6-Year-Old Girl

33-year-old Deric McPherson was arrested on Aug. 23, 2022 after grabbing a 6-year-old girl and attempting to pull her down the sidewalk with him.

How The Abduction And Murder Of A 9-Year-Old Led To The AMBER Alert System

The AMBER alert system first debuted in 1996 as a collaboration between news media and police in Arlington, Texas. Named for Amber Hagerman, the alerts have helped find more than 1,000 abducted children.