Inset: Owen Anderson (Western Virginia Regional Jail). Background: Milwaukee County Courthouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Google Maps).
A Virginia man is facing criminal charges in Wisconsin after authorities accused him of luring a teenage girl out of the state and keeping her captive for four years.
Owen Anderson, 37, was arrested in Montgomery County, Virginia, after a teenage girl called 911 on May 26 during what police described as a “domestic dispute.” During that call, authorities said, she reported that Anderson had held her hostage inside his home for the previous four years. A criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime says the girl had been reported missing on June 23, 2022, when she was 15. Her mother told Milwaukee police at the time that her daughter left their home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that morning and did not come back.
Once the girl gave police her identity, investigators said they learned she had met Anderson online and that the two began communicating when she was just 12 years old.
The girl told investigators that Anderson had promised he would “never hit her,” but she said he “repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted” her, according to the complaint. She also allegedly told police, “it’s always my fault if he hits me,” and said Anderson beat her with a whip. Authorities say the abuse continued over a four-year period.
During questioning, Anderson denied sexually assaulting the girl in a rental car, telling police that “he was sleeping and did not know what he was doing,” the complaint states.
Anderson has been charged with kidnapping, child enticement and child abduction. He remains jailed in Virginia without bail and is expected to be extradited to Milwaukee to face the Wisconsin charges. No court date had been immediately scheduled.
The post Man promised girl he would “never hit her” and persuaded her to travel across multiple states, then held her captive for 4 years: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
