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Cold case suspect nabbed overseas after DNA revived decades-old child abduction mystery
By Julia Bonavita
Published April 30, 2026
A man living overseas has been arrested in a nearly 40-year-old cold case after authorities say DNA evidence linked him to the 1989 kidnapping and sexual battery of a young Florida girl.
Young Tom Talmadge, 69, was taken into custody at his home in Cavite, Philippines, on April 23 after local authorities received information regarding the case from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) of the Philippines said in a press release.
The development comes after Hillsborough County authorities issued a warrant for Talmadge’s arrest in March, according to officials.
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Young Tom Talmadge, 69, faces charges including sexual battery on a victim under 12, lewd acts on a child and kidnapping related to a 1989 alleged child abduction in Tampa, Florida. (Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines)
Authorities allege Talmadge was at the bowling alley Tampa Lanes when he approached a 7-year-old girl and offered her coins to play arcade games in 1989, FOX 13 reported.
He then allegedly lured the young girl into his car and sexually battered her, authorities said, according to the outlet.
Young Tom Talmadge allegedly abducted and sexually battered a 7-year-old girl after approaching her inside the Tampa Lanes bowling alley in Florida. (FOX 13)
Immediately following the incident, Talmadge allegedly dropped the child off at a second bowling alley nearby and fled the scene.
The young girl’s disappearance sparked a frantic search by Tampa Lanes employees until a man at the second bowling alley recognized the child and facilitated her return, the outlet reported.
Young Tom Talmadge was taken into custody by local authorities in Cavite, Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration said. (iStock)
The case ultimately ran cold for nearly 40 years, until investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement used genealogical research and preserved DNA evidence to identify Talmadge as a suspect, authorities said.
His arrest was a result of the BI’s #ShieldKids campaign, an initiative launched "to protect children from foreign sex offenders," the agency said.
"We will continue to work closely with international counterparts to protect Filipino children and uphold justice," Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said in a statement. "Foreign fugitives who commit crimes against children will find no refuge here."
Following his arrest, Talmadge was transported to the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, where he awaits extradition to the United States.
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He faces charges of sexual battery on a victim less than 12 years old by an adult, lewd and lascivious acts on a child, and kidnapping to commit a felony on a child, according to the BI.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/cold-case-suspect-nabbed-overseas-dna-revived-decades-old-child-abduction-mystery