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Kidnapper Demands Meth In Exchange For 5-Year-Old

Police: Former Stepfater In Custody, Daughter Returned

POSTED: 7:41 pm MDT September 19, 2007
UPDATED: 5:58 am MDT September 20, 2007

A 5-year-old girl abducted out of Arizona earlier this month has been found in Aurora.

Arizona authorities worked closely with the FBI and Aurora police in safely locating 5-year-old Jade Dunn on Tuesday at her former stepfather's home.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said Jade Dunn was picked up by Patricia Sanford, who is a friend of the little girl's former stepfather, on Sep. 6, in Kingman, Ariz.

The FBI from Arizona said Sanford, the woman who kidnapped Jade, was on the contact list to pick up the child but was not authorized or expected to pick her up on the date she was taken from her school.

Sanford contacted Jade’s grandmother Sunday, allegedly telling her Virgil Kosmicki was demanding two ounces of methamphetamine for the return of Jade, authorities said.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Denver FBI agents. With the information provided to them, Jade was located at a home in Aurora, where Kosmicki was arrested.

"Protecting the lives and safety of our children is a job taken very seriously by the FBI," said Denver FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Garrity Jr., "This portentous coordination by various levels of law enforcement denotes the importance of this priority."

The FBI said despite the previous relationship between Kosmicki and Jade’s mother, Kosmicki had no legal custody rights.

Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan said, "I'm pleased with our collective efforts between agencies and have arrested the suspect and reunited the child with relatives."

Kosmicki is being held without bail, awaiting extradition to Arizona.

"This joint law enforcement effort represents the best of how law enforcement can save and protect," said Phoenix Special Agent in Charge John E. Lewis. "The most important issue here is that this child was safely found."

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