ORLANDO, Fla._A Lakeland girl was spotted in Georgia after being kidnapped from her home Saturday morning, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
Surveillance footage captured 4-year-old Rebecca Lewis and a man named West Wild Hogs filling up at a gas station about 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Forsythe, a small town in central Georgia about an hour southeast from Atlanta. She appeared to be in good health.
Hogs, who legally changed his name from Matthew Clark Pybus, is an old family friend and hadn't seen Rebecca in years. He has a home in Seale, Ala., and is now wanted on kidnapping charges. The FBI, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and officers in Polk County and Georgia are searching for him and the girl.
Scott Wilder, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said it's still a mystery why Hogs took Rebecca.
"The whole family is pretty torn up and very emotional. They just want to know why because they don't understand why he would have taken her," he said.
She was last seen sleeping at 9 a.m. Saturday at her home, Lazy Dazy Retreat Mobile Home Park on U.S. Highway 98, by her 16-year-old sister. The sister woke up 45 minutes later and Rebecca was gone.
The family, along with law enforcement, went house-by-house searching for her. A helicopter and police dogs looked around the area as well. Authorities decided to issue a statewide Amber Alert about 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Hundreds of tips have flooded the Polk County Sheriff's Office, one of them from a person who spotted the pair about 9:30 a.m. Saturday at a McDonald's near the home, just 15 minutes before the family noticed she was gone.
"That was one of our first real good tips, and we were able to see through the grainy surveillance footage that they went there and were together," Wilder said.
Hours later, they spotted the pair in Georgia, again on surveillance footage. Rebecca was wearing a pink dress and multicolored pants. Hogs was wearing a short sleeve collared shirt and blue jeans. He was last seen driving a stolen 2012 gray Nissan Versa with Alabama handicapped license plate 4JL26.
Hogs has no known criminal history, and authorities have no information that leads them to believe he intends to hurt Rebecca, Wilder said.
"We haven't found any specific threat against the family or the child or found any reason to believe he'll harm her, but we don't know. We're of course very concerned and will be until she's found safe and brought back home," Wilder said.
He said Hogs' mother had been good friends with Rebecca's grandmother for years. He knew Rebecca's parents and had spent time with them.
That all stopped two years ago when he moved up to Alabama.
"It's unlikely she was comfortable enough that she'd just leave with him," Wilder said, adding they "do know she is a very friendly child and she'll warm up to people quickly."
Hogs made an unexpected visit back to the Lakeland area Friday. He dropped by his mother's house and said he was looking for work. He then asked where Rebecca's parents are living, Wilder said.
The next day when Rebecca went missing Hogs' mother realized the connection and alerted authorities, Wilder said.
Wilder said there's no evidence that Hogs broke into their home and snatched Rebecca out of bed. Detectives think he might have knocked on the door or called out for her.
"He may have tried to lure her out, maybe by asking if she wanted McDonald's or something because that's where they went immediately after," Wilder said.
He said Rebecca's parents didn't believe it at first that Hogs was connected to her disappearance. They are having a hard time trying to cope.
"They're definitely really upset," he said. "Not only is their loved one gone, but she was taken by someone they formerly trusted and knew."
Wilder said authorities have made contact with all of Hogs' friends and relatives, along with searching all the places he frequents.
