facebook-pixel

Man charged with kidnapping 13-year-old Utah girl

The girl had disappeared from her Roosevelt home on March 8, police said.

A Florida man has been charged with kidnapping a 13-year-old Utah girl earlier this month and taking her to Wyoming.

Christopher Scott Evans, 25, of Fort Pierce, Florida, was charged in 8th District Court with child kidnapping, a first-degree felony; and harboring a runaway, a class B misdemeanor.

According to a probable cause statement, a check of her home’s security system showed the Roosevelt teen leaving her home at about 5:22 a.m. on March 8.

Police learned that she had been communicating with a man — later identified as Evans — via the Oculus virtual-reality platform for about a month. According to police, at the approximate time the girl left her home, she received a message from Evans: “Waiting.”

Police pinged Evans’ cell phone, according to the probable cause statement, and located both him and the 13-year-old in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Police there found the girl and Evans in a semitruck on March 10 at about 3:40 p.m.

Evans is being held in jail in Laramie County, Wyoming, pending extradition to Utah.

Help The Tribune report the stories others can’t—or won’t.

For over 150 years, The Salt Lake Tribune has been Utah’s independent news source. Our reporters work tirelessly to uncover the stories that matter most to Utahns, from unraveling the complexities of court rulings to allowing tax payers to see where and how their hard earned dollars are being spent. This critical work wouldn’t be possible without people like you—individuals who understand the importance of local, independent journalism.  As a nonprofit newsroom, every subscription and every donation fuels our mission, supporting the in-depth reporting that shines a light on the is sues shaping Utah today.

You can help power this work.

$15$25$35