Reported Abduction from Louisiana Casino Under Investigation

Posted on: January 30, 2020, 04:59h. 

Last updated on: January 31, 2020, 08:36h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Police from two states were trying to piece together a claimed kidnapping of a 36-year-old woman from outside of a Bossier City, Louisiana casino this week.

Police were trying to confirm a reported kidnapping from outside the Margaritaville casino in Bossier City, Louisiana. (Image: Shreveport-Bossier.org)

Authorities were first notified of the reported kidnapping at about 9:25 pm Wednesday, when Miller County, Arkansas deputies located a woman attempting to flag down traffic on Interstate 49.

The Shreveport, Louisiana woman claimed that an unidentified man abducted her from outside the Bossier City gaming property earlier that day. She claims she was inside the gaming property on Wednesday and was alone at the time.

Just as she was ready to drive away from the casino, the reported assailant appeared in the car’s back seat. He demanded that she drive north on Interstate 49.

Eventually, he let her drive the car to the side of the highway. She escaped from the car and motioned for help from passing traffic.

She was believed to have fled from the car somewhere on I-49 between Fouke and Texarkana, both of which are in Arkansas, KSLA TV reported.

Assailant Never Spotted by Police

The Miller County Sheriff’s Office, the Texarkana, Arkansas Police Department, the Bowie County, Texas Sheriff’s Office, and the Arkansas State Police all took part in searching for the assailant, according to TXK Today. He was never found.

Authorities undertook a several-hour search of the area near the highway. Specially trained dogs assisted the police in the effort to find the man in the woods.

There were some reports in the media identifying the gaming property she claimed to have been at was the Margaritaville Casino in Bossier City. Officials initially did not identify the gaming property, nor did they name the reported victim.

The distance between the Bossier City casino and the section of the highway where she claimed to have escaped is over 70 miles. It typically takes an hour or more to drive that distance.

As of Thursday, police were watching video from the casino’s security camera in an apparent effort to verify the woman’s story, KTBS TV reported.

On Wednesday night, Bossier City spokeswoman Traci Landry said to KSLA-TV that “No kidnapping has occurred” from a Bossier City casino. But on Thursday, Landry said Bossier City police were investigating a reported kidnapping at the Margaritaville casino, KSLA said.

“The circumstances are under investigation as to what happened,” Landry added, KTBS-TV reported.
Police were interviewing the victim on Thursday morning. She was not injured during the reported kidnapping and was examined by EMTs near where she claimed to have escaped from the car.

Local police also could not confirm the claim the abduction took place at the Margaritaville casino, Landry said early Thursday.

Nevada, Pennsylvania Saw Arrests for Casino-Related Kidnappings

Louisiana is not the only state where police recently responded to a reported kidnapping. In December, Pennsylvania authorities arrested a Pennsylvania man who allegedly abducted an 84-year-old woman from the Wind Creek Bethlehem garage. He later allegedly robbed and repeatedly struck her, and was later identified as Hykeem Rasmeen Sessoms, 38, of Bethlehem.

In August, a 37-year-old man was arrested for the July sexual assault and kidnapping of a woman in Las Vegas who he had met earlier in the New York-New York Hotel & Casino. He was identified as Capri Harris, who once lived in Minnesota.