Charges: Kidnapped Bemidji girl was found with legs duct taped
BEMIDJI, Minn. (KMSP) - Charges have been filed in the kidnapping of a 5-year-old girl in Bemidji, Minnesota who was reported missing last week after a fatal fire at the house she was staying in. Jacob Kinn, 32, is charged with one count of kidnapping after the girl was found in a trailer in rural Big Fork, Minn. with her legs bound with black duct tape.
Police said the girl was visiting a home at the Hillcrest Manor Trailer Park when a fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 22. After crews got the flames under control, they found a woman dead inside the home. At 12:45 p.m. that day, a woman arrived and told police that her child was in the trailer that burned.
During the course of the investigation, officers learned the victim of the fire had recently rekindled a relationship with Jacob Kinn, who was on probation for a previous child pornography conviction. When he was contacted by his probation officer, Kinn said, “this is probably about that missing girl.”
Kinn voluntarily came to the police department after being identified as a person of interest, but denied having any contact with the girl or the victim of the fire. Cell phone records placed Kinn in Big Fork the night of June 22, and investigators found tire tracks leading to a camper.
The missing girl was found in the top bunk of the camper, wearing pajamas. Her legs hap been taped together and she had no access to food, water or a bathroom. The girl told police she was went to sleep on Kinn’s bed and watched SpongeBob.
Jacob Kinn’s next court appearance is July 18 in Beltrami County.
In 2013, Kinn was sentenced to 65 days in the Beltrami County Jail for posting an ad on Craigslist looking for a young girl to pose for pictures. BCA officials believe Kinn and the woman killed in the fire knew each other, but they do not know if Kinn knew the 5-year-old.