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On September 8, the friends, family and loved ones of fourteen-year-old Jillian Burgos held a candlelight vigil for the girl, who’d been missing since disappearing from her Hartford, Connecticut-area backyard on August 25. Two days later, investigators found her safe in Longmont and arrested 53-year-old Timothy Wind on suspicion of kidnapping.
This does not appear to have been an abduction by a stranger. Burgos reportedly met Wind on the Internet, and it’s not yet clear if she went with him to Colorado willingly or by force. Details below.
See also: Video: Ryan Stone Busted After Wild Car Chase With Kidnapped Four-Year-Old
Those looking for Burgos widely shared photos of the teen, including this one….
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…and this one: In addition, information about her was shared on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website…. …with posters distributed throughout the Hartford area: Then there was the vigil, promoted via this Facebook image: The turnout was strong and the media coverage included this image…. ….and this one…. …as seen in coverage by Fox Connecticut
Then, yesterday, a break in the case: The Longmont Police Department, working in concert with the FBI, located Burgos in Wind’s apartment.
Wind’s Facebook page notes that he studied divinity at St. Thomas Theological Seminary. His current employment is listed as technical support for IBM.
Included on his page is a photo of Wind posted late last year….
…as well as this 2009 shot…. …whose caption says it was taken while “watching all the kids play at grandma’s house.”
What’s the connection between Burgos and Wind? Fox Connecticut reports that he met Burgos on the Internet. Investigators believe he drove the almost-2,000 mile distance to Hartford, then back to Longmont with her.
Burgos is currently in the care of Boulder County Housing and Human Services, which is working to reunite her with her family. In the meantime, Wind is expected to make his first court appearance today. Here’s a look at his booking photo.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
