The neighbor and babysitter of a five-year-old girl is being credited as a hero after calling Detroit police when she heard Maggie Millsap yelling about a monster.
Raynell Jones dialed 911 after hearing the child’s cries. She told Fox2 Detroit of the youngster: “She goes, ‘Help me, help me, please.’ When the guy walks back up, she says, ‘The monster is back,’ and then she closes the curtain.”
The five-year-old was allegedly kidnapped in late June when police allege Dangelo Cash Clemons, her next-door neighbor, 29, held her hostage for days. Colby Millsap, reportedly the girl’s father, was discovered dead in the duplex unit in which she lived.
Jones, 23, said Colby Millsap was a kind and generous person who took care of his daughter; her mother had died years earlier.
“He used to panic when she stayed out here too long,” Jones told The Washington Post. “He would thank me and try to reimburse me whenever I bought the kids ice cream. He was that kind of guy.”
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, “Clemons abducted the child from her home and fled to the residence next door. Aspects of the case remain under investigation and no further details are being released at this time.”
Clemons, who was charged with kidnapping and child enticement, was arraigned July 3 in 36th District Court and received a $250,000 bond “with a GPS tether,” officials said.
No one has been charged yet in the death of Colby Millsap.
A neighbor heard a kidnapped child pleading for help. Grown-ups saved her from a ‘monster.’
— Timothy Bella (@TimBella) July 21, 2021
What unfolded in Detroit shortly after RayNell Jones called 911 was a rescue of Maggie Millsap, a 5-year-old girl who police say was held hostage by her neighbor.https://t.co/ASzCbwkWzM
Maggie Millsap is currently in foster care. She reportedly has family in Texas, but it is unclear where she will remain.
Neighbors Karla and Darion Reaves said area residents are celebrating that the child is safe, but mourning the loss of her father. “He needs to know that he hurt this little girl for the rest of her life,” Karla Reaves said.
“Not only did he hurt her, he hurt us,” said Darion Reaves, “and anyone else who loved that little girl because now she doesn’t have anybody.”
“All allegations like these confirm why we all do this challenging work,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in her office’s July 3 statement. “We must protect our children by all lawful means necessary.”
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