Police search for girl abducted during father's visit
It started with a scheduled visit for a father and child in the middle of a divorce case and ended with a kidnapping, police said.
An Amber Alert was issued yesterday for a 7-year-old girl who police said was abducted by her father during a social worker-supervised visit in the Back Bay.
Police were looking for Clark Rockefeller, who they said took off with his daughter, Reigh, about 12:45 p.m. in a black GMC Yukon or Chevrolet Tahoe or Suburban with a Massachusetts Red Sox license plate and various Sox stickers on the back. Boston police searched the area without success, and State Police issued the Amber Alert just before 5 p.m.
Police issued a warrant for the father's arrest last night. He faces charges of custodial kidnapping, assault and battery, and assault and battery with a deadly weapon - the sport utility vehicle.
Boston police said the father, daughter, and social worker were walking to the Boston Common from the Four Seasons Hotel when the sport utility vehicle drove up. Rockefeller allegedly grabbed his daughter, pushed the social worker out of the way, and jumped into the vehicle, which sped off. The social worker, who police said works for an independent agency, grabbed onto the vehicle and was dragged several feet. He was treated for minor injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital and released, police said.
WHDH-TV reported that the girl's backpack and toy doll were left on the steps of the father's home. The station also reported that Clark Rockefeller was a scientist who had moved to the area two years ago and was in the midst of a bitter divorce involving a large amount of money. The girl's mother, the station reported, has been living in London. Eddy Chrispin, a Boston police spokesman, said the girl's mother, who was not named, does not live in the area.
Police said that though there was no indication of past abuse, they believed the girl was in danger, and they asked the public for help finding her and her father.
Police described Clark Rockefeller as white, about 50 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and 170 pounds with a stocky build. He was last seen wearing khaki pants and a blue polo shirt. He is listed as a director with the Algonquin Club of Boston, but officials with the social club could not be reached last night for comment.
Reigh Rockefeller is 4 feet tall, weighs 50 pounds, and has blond hair and blue eyes, police said. She was last seen at the intersection of Marlborough and Arlington streets, wearing a pink and white sundress, red shoes, and sunglasses, police said.
"He just took the child and fled," said Chrispin.
The sport utility vehicle was being driven by a friend of the father's, Chrispin said. Police did not know who he was or what he looked like.
Police were searching the immediate area and Logan International Airport yesterday. Calls came yesterday about reported sightings of the girl in Dedham, Hyde Park, and even New York's Grand Central Station. Police said they were following up on all leads, but had nothing solid last night.
Authorities asked anyone with information to call 617-343-4328.
The Amber Alert system was launched in 1996 after a fatal kidnapping in Texas. During an alert, warnings flash across TV screens and on highway signs and are announced through the media.
Last year, 227 alerts were issued nationwide. Before yesterday, Massachusetts authorities had issued alerts for at least 17 children, all of whom have been safely returned.
John Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com. 