Transcript of Oakland Grove Police Department calls received on 3/12/2023 regarding “The Teddy Bear Abduction”

5:23 PM: A young girl identifying herself as Emily Brown contacted the 911 operator, Jennifer Morton, to report being abducted by a man in a teddy bear costume. This transcript has been made available due to the poor audio quality of the call. The victim speaks in hushed tones and can often be difficult to understand. A recording is available upon request.

911 Operator: 911, what's your emergency?

Caller: Please help me! My name is Emily Brown and a man in a bear costume [Inaudible] from the park on Lover’s Lane. I think he’s going to kill me.

911 Operator: Okay, I’m having trouble hearing you. Can you try to speak up?

Caller: I can’t. He threw me in the back of a van and I don’t want him to hear me. It’s loud back here and [Inaudible] windows are painted black. I tried opening the door, but it was locked.

911: Okay, sweety. Keep whispering. Do you know where he is taking you?

Caller: No, I can’t see out of the windows and there is a metal wall between the back and the cab. It’s completely dark in here. We’ve only been moving for a few minutes. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God… he’s going to kill me.

911 Operator: Okay, we're going to send officers to the area around the park. Can you describe the suspect and the vehicle?

Caller: He's a man wearing a filthy teddy bear costume with a big, creepy smile on his face. It looks like that bear that jumps out and scares you from the video game. I don’t remember the name. [Inaudible] looks like one of those white vans that delivery drivers use. There were no stickers or anything. The windows are all covered with black paint.

911 Operator: Okay, we have a description of the suspect and vehicle, Emily. Can you tell me anything else about him?

Caller: I was just walking in the park to meet a friend. He was standing near a swingset and waved at me when I walked by. I waved back. He looked like he was there for a kid's birthday party or something, but then he started following me and calling out to me. He's got a really deep voice. And he kept saying things like "You're going to be my little bear.”

911 Operator: Alright, we have officers en route. Can you tell me anything else at all, Emily?

Caller: I can hear the sound of other cars passing us. I think we’re on the highway. Am I going to be okay? Please come get me. [Inaudible] just want to go home. I want my mom.

911 Operator: Okay, stay on the line with me. We have officers at the park and others are being directed onto the highway. We'll do everything we can to get you out of there.

Caller: Please hurry! He’s going to kill me. Oh my God, I’m going to die…

911 Operator: Okay Emily, we have officers in the area looking for the suspect's vehicle. We are going to find you. Concentrate on the sound of my voice. Is there anything inside the van with you? Anything that could help us identify it?

Caller: It's really dirty and there are stuffed animals everywhere. I saw them for a second… [inaudible] before he slammed the door. There's a weird smell like something's rotting. The floor is sticky. I think it may be blood.

911 Operator: Okay, we have a description of the van. Just hang in there, Emily. We're doing everything we can to find you.

Teenager: The van is starting to slow down… Oh shit, we’re going to stop soon. I’m going to try and kick the window out.

911 Operator: No! Just stay quiet and be as calm as you can. Please just…

[Audible thumping sounds coming from the caller's line followed by a pounding noise. An inaudible male voice begins to yell in the background. The sound of a door opening is followed by screams and inaudible speech from the caller]

5:35 PM: End call.

5:25 PM: A secondary 911 call, received by Deborah Jenkins, related to the abduction is received. A witness, identifying himself as Matthew Bowman of Oakland Grove, provides an eyewitness account of the abduction of Emily Brown.

Operator: 911, what's your emergency?

Caller: Yes, hello, I just witnessed something… shit. I don’t know, maybe it was a joke. You know how kids do all that weird garbage now for TikTok videos?

Operator: Sir, what is the nature of the emergency?

Caller: Sorry, yeah. I was sitting on a bench at Lover’s Lane Park I saw a man dressed in a damn bear costume grab a young girl and force her into the back of a van.

Operator: Is the van still there, sir?

Caller: No. After the guy slammed the doors, he peeled out of the parking lot like a bat outta Hell. Do you think this is some sort of video prank?

Operator: I don’t know, sir. Did you see what direction the van was headed?

Caller: Yeah, sure. Fella took a left turn onto Fairview Avenue in the direction of the highway. Can’t remember the road number.

Operator: Can you give me a description of the girl and the man in the bear costume?

Caller: The girl looked to be around 15 or 16 years old, with long brown hair and wearing a pink jacket. She was walking alone and the bear guy started hollerin’ at her.

Operator: And the man in the bear costume? Can you describe anything about him?

Caller: The man in the teddy bear costume was tall. Over six feet, looked like. Could be skinny, could be fat. Hard to tell with that buffy damn bear costume. Looked like it hadn't been washed in months. Be patches of dark stains on it. Large smile on the mask. Creepy lookin’ shit. Woulda been in place in one of those haunted houses at a carnival.

Operator: Okay sir, we have units on the way to your location. Can you stay on the line with me and give me any additional information you may have?

Caller: Yes, can do. I didn't see the license plate of the van, but it was a white panel van with windows on the sides. Too far away though to see inside. No stickers or logos or nothin’ on the outside. The man drove off very quickly, so I didn't get a chance to see anything else, really. I'm just really worried about that little girl now. More I talk about it, I don’t think it was any kinda joke at all.

Operator: Understood sir, we'll do everything we can to find her. Can you tell me your name and contact information?

Caller: Yes, my name is Matty Bowman… uh, Matthew. My number’s [Redacted]. Shit… that poor kid. I shoulda tried to help her.

Operator: Thank you, Mr. Bowman. The police will be there shortly to speak with you. Please stay where you are until they arrive.

Caller: Yes, I'll wait here. Please find that little girl. I'm really worried about her. I can’t believe I just watched him take her…

5:29: End Call.

The following transcript is a dispatch call made by Officer Joshua Brian to the Oakland Grove Police department on 3/14/2023. A state-wide manhunt beginning on 3/12/203 resulted in the tip leading Officer Brian to the location of an abandoned 1998 Chevrolet Express Van parked in a private timber lot.

11:29 AM: Begin dispatch call.

Officer: "Dispatch, this is Officer Brian. I'm calling in with a possible crime scene."

Dispatcher: "Go ahead, Officer Brian. What's your location and what's the situation?"

Officer: "I'm on a private wooded lot near the intersection of Highway 41 and Beulah Farm Road. I've found an abandoned van parked fifty yards from the road behind a dense woodline. It's filled with what appears to be blood and… stuffed animals. There is a broken Samsung Galaxy on the floor, also covered in what I believe to be blood."

Dispatcher: "Copy that, Officer Brian. Can you confirm if anyone is around or inside the vehicle?"

Officer: "Negative. There's no one in sight. I've checked the immediate area and it's clear. But the amount of blood is substantial, and it looks like there's been a struggle inside. There are footprints on the windows and streaks in the blood. It appears someone was pulled from the rear with force."

Dispatcher: "Copy that. Please remain on the scene and secure the area. We'll send a crime scene unit and detectives your way as soon as possible."

Officer: "Understood, Dispatch. I'm securing the scene now."

Dispatcher: "Understood. Please stay safe and keep us updated on any developments."

Officer: "Copy that, Dispatch. I'll be standing by."

11:35 AM: End Dispatch Call.

Crime scene technicians were able to collect DNA samples from four unique individuals. The amount of blood located in the abandoned Chevrolet Express van was determined to be of an amount that subjects from samples #1 to #3 were unlikely to have survived.

Sample #1 was determined to match DNA from the toothbrush provided to the Oakland Grove Police Department by the parents of Emily Brown.

Samples #2 and #3 were determined to belong to yet unidentified females. These samples are being cross-referenced with missing person cases in various jurisdictions throughout the region. Efforts are ongoing to identify unknown subjects.

Sample #4 was determined to belong to a yet unidentified male subject. The source of the DNA is considered a person of interest in the abduction of Emily Brown.

Emily Brown or her remains have not been recovered. Investigative efforts are ongoing. Similar abductions attributed to a mysterious individual in animal costumes have been reported in locations throughout the East Coast and southern United States.