Mother of teen victim in attempted abduction in Jacksonville: 'She's not doing too good'

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is looking for a man accused of trying to abduct a teenage girl from her home in Hyde Park.

Police say the attack happened between 12:45 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. Monday.

Johnel Martin lives in the area and tells Action News Jax that a detective came to her door Monday later that morning after the alleged attack.

"He just basically said there was an incident but he didn't tell me what it was. He did ask me if I had heard anything towards the middle of the night," Martin said.

Action News Jax spoke exclusively Tuesday afternoon with the victim's mother. She asked us to conceal her identity to protect her daughter, who's only 14.

"She's not doing too good, she has her moments, she's suffering a severe concussion right now," said the mother.

The girl's mother also tells us she has scratches and welts all over her arms and legs.

The mom tells us she was helping her other daughters get ready for work when she heard her 14-year-old screaming and crying before barging through her door.

"She had dirt and grass and things all over her, she was just hysterically crying, even just scared out of her mind and couldn't barely explain anything to me," said the mother.

She then tells Action News Jax that they called 911. She said her daughter told her that a man came into her room through a sliding door, picked her up and dragged her into the yard where she hit her head and blacked out.

"Thank God she grabbed onto everything in her room she could hold on to when you picked her up and she knocked everything down and they're trying to hold onto her nightstand and doorway lines and the blinds," said the girl's mother.

"I believe that's why he dropped her right outside the door and took off and I also think the dog started barking and I'm just so glad we're not in a different situation today," the mother said.

The mother said that she is constantly checking their doors to make sure they're locked and always asking her daughters about locking their doors, but this particular morning, that one door was left unlocked.

"This has been my biggest fear as a mother it was for something to happen to one of my daughters," said the mother.

This mother tells us she's sharing her story because she wants parents in the area to be aware of the incident.

She also said that a security light flickered on during her daughter's attack, which is why her daughter was able to get a detailed description of the suspect for police.

According to the police report, the teen told investigators the suspect who entered her room was a black male in his late 20s to early 30s, with a short haircut and crooked teeth. He was wearing all black clothing gloves and Air Jordan shoes.

Anyone with any information is asked by JSO to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

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