Christmas Day Amber Alert miracle leads to safe return of Natalie Flores (video)

A Christmas Day Amber Alert miracle lead to the safe return of abducted child, Natalie Flores. On December 25, 2009, five year old Natalie Flores was playing outside her North Phoenix, Arizona apartment complex with her two sisters, 7 and 9 years old. While they were playing, a man pulled up in a truck and parked near the children.

The man exited the vehicle with a camera and took photos of the 7 year old. Reports say he tried to pull the child’s pants down as well. He then grabbed the 5 year old, Natalie Flores, put her in his vehicle and sped off, hitting a parked vehicle as he fled the scene.

The girls lived with an aunt who is their legal guardian. An Amber Alert was issued and a search for the suspect’s vehicle followed. Quickly into the investigation, surveillance video surfaced showing the suspect’s vehicle, and the suspect was later identified as Larry Jon Ladwig. What transpired later Christmas evening was nothing short of a miracle.

An on duty police officer, Mike Burns, spotted a vehicle and his gut instinct led him to believe that he had located the suspect. Though the truck Larry Jon Ladwig had different license plates from the one in reports, Officer Burns continued to follow the truck in hot pursuit. Pulling up alongside the truck, Officer Mike Burns saw a small child and a man driving the vehicle that matched the Amber Alert’s description.

At that point, Ladwig sped off with Officer Burns on the chase. Officer Burns alerted the police force and officers placed spike strips in the road to puncture the suspect’s vehicle’s tires. The plan worked and Larry Jon Ladwig crashed his vehicle. He then fled on foot but was captured by police approximately a block away from the crash. Police rescued Natalie Flores; however, she had been sexually abused.

Natalie Flores had been abducted for 7 hours. It is rare for stranger abductions to result in such a dramatic rescue after that length of time. Officer Mike Burns is truly a hero, for had he not followed up on his gut instinct, or turned away from the pursuit when he saw the different license plate, it is probable that Natalie Flores would never have been found.

The video below is from December 25, 2009, after Phoenix Police made the arrest.

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Missing Children, Unsolved Child Murders, and Unsolved Amber Alert Cases

Christmas Day Amber Alert miracle leads to safe return of Natalie Flores (video)