Horrifying moment crying girl, 12, came running from remote woods after being 'kidnapped' from a sleepover

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 05:43, 21 August 2026 | Updated: 05:47, 21 August 2026 A North Carolina girl who was kidnapped from a sleepover and taken deep into the woods was discovered by an unlikely Good Samaritan after she emerged with tears in her eyes and scratches on her body. The 12-year-old child was discovered by healthcare giver Jennifer Maxwell as she was driving home on Sunday around 1.20pm. She emerged from the wooded area alongside US Highway 421 in Erwin, 45 miles south of Raleigh, as Maxwell drove by. 'I just thank God I was there,' Maxwell told WNCN. 'And I thank God she got away, not just that I was there.' The girl told Maxwell that she had been sleeping over at her best friend's home, who lives next door to her. She was allegedly woken up by 38-year-old Daniel Francis Gear, the friend's uncle, who was ultimately charged with her kidnap. Gear is alleged to have driven the girl to the woods in his truck and forced her to walk with him for hours. North Carolina healthcare giver Jennifer Maxwell spotted a 12-year-old girl who had been kidnapped as she drove home on Sunday around 1.20pm Maxwell said the girl popped out of a secluded, wooded area alongside US Highway 421 in Erwin Maxwell recalled that she had seen the little girl 'run out of the woods down the embankment' before dropping in a ditch and tearing up. 'She was very scratched up, like her legs had lines all over them,' Maxwell told the outlet. 'Either she went through briers or thick brush.' The unlikely hero added that the child was barefooted and her arms were also scratched. Maxwell said she asked the girl if she was okay and she responded, 'No, I've been kidnapped.' Maxwell called 911 after helping the girl into her car. Later, Maxwell took police to where she had found the girl. Gear's truck was still sitting nearby behind a DMV office, according to the outlet. Maxwell was involved in a car accident shortly after her encounter with the girl. She went to the hospital afterwards, where she again saw the preteen. 'I guess she told her parents who I was, and they came over and they thanked me,' she told WRAL. Daniel Francis Gear, 38, has been charged with with first-degree kidnapping and assault The girl was sleeping over at her best friend's home, which is located in Lillington, when she was told by Gear to come outside Gear was captured by police around 8.15pm on Sunday after a seven-hour manhunt involving drones and K-9 officers. He has since been charged with first-degree kidnapping and assault. Court records listed him as being 5-foot-9 and weighing 240 pounds. Neighbors described Gear as an unknown inside their Lillington community, though they noted that the girl would often be at his home to hang out with his niece. 'Actually, to be honest, nobody really knew who he was,' neighbor Justin Powers told WNCN. 'He never really came out of the house,' Powers added. 'He worked from home.' Gear is being held at the Harnett County Detention Center on a $2.5 million secured bond, which was set Monday during his first appearance at the Harnett County Courthouse. He will be in court for the next time on September 1, according to North Carolina court records. The Daily Mail has reached out to Harnett County Sheriff's Office for comment.  An attorney for Gear was not listed in court records.