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BASSETT, Va. – Virginia state police issued an amber alert after child abduction authorities said it happened Friday afternoon.
Allie Michele Broadaway, 12, is believed to be in extreme danger and her family reported her missing around 1:45 p.m. at 2373 Reed Creek Drive in Bassett.
Allie measures about 4 feet and 11 inches tall and weighs about 107 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a gray James Madison University sweatshirt and dark fleece pants.
Authorities believe she was abducted by a 21-year-old Texas man, Kaleb Christopher Merritt.
Merritt is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 250 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.
Police believe he was possibly driving a light green 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis with Texas license plate DMP-2294.
Henry County Sheriff’s Office was contacted Thursday by the Southwest Virginia’s Internet Crimes Against Child Working Group on a complaint related to social media messages exchanged between Broadaway and Merritt.
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Investigators found that Merritt frequented a 24-hour gym located on Greensboro Road, where they were able to locate him and seize his electronic device for forensic analysis.
Through further investigation, authorities found that Merritt and Allie met in December 2020 on Instagram where they communicated until Merrit traveled to Virginia in early February 2021 to meet her.
Authorities discovered that Merritt set up camp in a wooded area behind her home and met with her on several occasions before she used a messaging app to tell her to leave her home.
Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry said that from what they knew Thursday, they were not allowed to arrest Merritt.
“It simply came to our notice then. We pushed all the way there, but there was no probable cause at the time, ”said Perry. “We’re just trying to protect ourselves from everything we can.”
Below is an interview with journalist Shayne Dwyer, who did 10 Friday night with Henry Lane Perry County Sheriff, about Allie’s abduction:
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Authorities believe that after she was coerced into leaving her home, she was picked up by Merritt and has not been seen since.
Perry said that while Allie may have been happy with Merritt, she is still a minor, so authorities treat this as a case of child abduction.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Enry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751.
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