Virginia police issued an Amber Alert on Thursday for a 12-year-old girl from China who they believe was abducted from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Virginia State Police)
The 12-year-old Chinese girl believed to have been abducted from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was approached by a mystery couple during an earlier sightseeing tour of New York City – and the exchange may have something to do with her disappearance -- officials revealed Friday.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Chief David Huchler said investigators are working now to figure out what the couple said to JinJing Ma outside of what appeared to be the World Trade Center. The teen, part of a tour group visiting the U.S., arrived in New York on July 26 and was last seen Thursday morning walking out of the airport near the nation’s capital alongside an unidentified Asian female.
“We are in the process of trying to determine the identity of these individuals but it does appear that they are connected to the incident here,” Huchler told reporters. “It appears there was some familiarity, but I don’t know if it is a cordial exchange but that is something we are trying to verify at this time.
“We believe the contact up in New York is connected to the contact here,” he added.
Virginia police issued an Amber Alert Thursday for Ma, describing her as around five-feet-tall with black hair, brown eyes and weighs 90 pounds. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with blue jeans and black jacket.
“She received her passport just prior to checking in at the airport and then left her group,” Virginia Police said in a Facebook post. “She met up with an unknown, Asian female, who assisted the 12-year-old with changing clothes. The two then walked together to the ‘Arrivals’ area of the airport, eventually disappearing from the camera view.”
Upon leaving the airport, the girl was seen entering a white Infiniti vehicle with New York tags, the official said, adding that she is considered to be "in extreme danger" due to her age.
The suspected abductor is believed to be a middle-aged woman with black hair and a black dress on, police said. She was initially said to be in her 40s, however authorities later described her as being in her 50s.
Before the woman at the airport made contact with Ma, she was observed entering the facility with a male who was believed to be driving the Infiniti.
Anyone with details is advised to call 911 or the Metro Washington Airport Authority Police at (703) 417-2400.
Fox News' Elizabeth Zwirz and Ben Florance contributed to this report.
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