Clinician talks with WSBT about signs your child might run away

Tragic news in the South Bend Tribune this week: A 15-year-old girl ran away from home in South Bend, only to be forced into two months of confinement, starvation and prostitution. Listen to Toni Henke-Wheeler, a therapist at Family & Children's Center, on WSBT radio talk about signs your child might be thinking of running away and things you can do to strengthen the lines of communication with your children.

 

 

 

 

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Article published Jun 28, 2010
Police say teen confined, starved
Officers arrest 34-year-old man on suspicion of raping girl, 15.
By ERIN BLASKO Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- Police arrested a 34-year-old South Bend man Sunday on suspicion of rape and criminal confinement involving a teenage runaway.

The runaway -- a 15-year-old Mishawaka girl -- reportedly left home about two months ago at the invitation of a woman she met at the bus stop.

In search of the girl, an officer arrived sometime early Sunday at a home in the 500 block of South Falcon Street near Harrison Park, where he found a female and two males sitting on the porch.

The female seemed to be acting nervous, police said, so the officer asked her to approach the fence surrounding the front yard.

The girl identified herself, police said. She said she had not been home in two months and she asked to be taken to a house on Lincoln Way West in Mishawaka.There, the victim told police that about two months ago she met a 24-year-old woman at the bus stop. She said the woman offered her a place to stay if she ever wanted to run away.

The victim said she took the woman up on the offer. She said that for the first few nights, she sneaked into the woman's bedroom at a home on Gertrude Street.

Soon, however, the victim said the woman began driving her around each night to different homes to have sex with men. She said she was not sure she could identify any of the men since it was always dark.

At the same time, the victim said she went days without food. She said the woman only fed her every two to three days.

The victim told police the woman dropped her on Falcon Street either Tuesday or Wednesday of last week.There, the victim said the woman forced her to have sex multiple times with a 34-year-old man. She said the man threw her down a flight of stairs once after she refused.

The officer took the victim to a local hospital, police said, where doctors completed a rape kit.

Meanwhile, police returned to the Falcon Street home and arrested the 34-year-old on suspicion of rape and criminal confinement.

It is Tribune policy in most cases not to identify suspects until they have been charged.

Staff writer Erin Blasko:
eblasko@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6187