Marty Gordon
A 15-year-old Milwaukee, Wisconsin girl who disappeared in 2022 has been found in Blacksburg, and a 37-year-old local man has been charged with her kidnapping.
Owen Lars Anderson is currently being held in the Western Virginia Regional Jail without bond.
According to reports, Anderson met the girl online and convinced her to leave home. She is now 19 years old.
Anderson has been charged with kidnapping a child under 16 years of age for concubinage or prostitution, labor endangerment, assault/strangulation resulting in bodily injury and vandalism, damaging property.
Prosecutors said Anderson instructed the victim “every step of the way” and arranged for a ride to pick her up and take her to Chicago in June 2022. When she got there, he dumped her phone in the trash and took her out of state.
Then, in May 2026, Milwaukee police received a call from an out-of-state police department. A lieutenant said that his agency made contact with the victim while responding to a 911 call for a domestic dispute. The victim would not disclose her real name at first, but later gave her identity and disclosed that she was missing from Milwaukee, the complaint said.
Court filings said a search of Anderson’s home found a number of electronic devices, flash drives, journals and personal information for both Anderson and the victim.
A Milwaukee media report says the victim told investigators that Anderson held her against her will and physically and sexually abused her for years. She said he did not allow her to attend school, threatened to hurt her if she tried to leave, and physically harmed her on “several occasions.”
Anderson was officially charged this past Friday.
