Two Florida girls were rescued from a kidnapping in progress when alert churchgoers foiled the plot after one of the girls mouthed, “help me, this is not my dad.”
David Daniels of Brandon was arrested by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies on two counts of false imprisonment of a child and child abuse, Fox 13 reported.
The two girls, both under 12 years old, had just exited the Cherry’s Bar and Grill in FishHawk’s park square when 37-year-old Daniels approached them and said he would walk them home.
Daniels allegedly struck one of the girls over the head multiple times as he followed them, at which point they got on their bikes and headed to a nearby church. Daniels caught up with them and entered the church pretending to be their father, sheriff’s deputies said.
(Video: Fox 13 Tampa Bay)
“I saw two children on their bicycles and a male adult behind them,” said a woman who was outside the church and then entered behind them when she felt something was troubling about their behavior.
“One of the little girls was mouthing to me, ‘Please help me, this is not my dad,’” said the woman, who elected to remain anonymous.
Daniels appeared to the woman to have one of the girls in a headlock and was talking firmly in her ear.
“He was kind of talking over her, right behind her, putting his arm around her neck and saying something in her ear, saying, ‘We just moved here, we just want to see how we can help do whatever you’re doing,’” she told the outlet.
She played along as other churchgoers who had been alerted by the woman engaged Daniels in conversation while she sneaked away to call 911.
The ruse became more obvious as the conversations continued.
“I engaged in conversation with him,” she said. “I said, ‘Oh that’s nice, where did you move here from?’ He said, ‘Oh, I am not really sure.’”
Deputies found Daniels walking back to the downtown area and arrested him.
“I don’t want any recognition for this,” said the woman. “I don’t want to be a hero. I just did what I hope anybody would do for my own kids.”
Deputies reported that the girls were certain they were being kidnapped. The grateful mothers of the two hope that others will see the remarkability that her children are home with her and will likewise be as situationally aware as the churchgoers were.
“There are moms out there who are like me. They are going to recognize the signs, and they are going to know what to do,” said the anonymous woman. “In that moment, I didn’t know if I was going to have the right answer. But they are fine, and they are home today.”
Daniels is currently being held in the Hillsborough County Jail on a $104,000 bond.
Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- Our Republic is absolutely doomed if this is the answer to intellectual discourse - September 12, 2025
- The left’s violent ideologies … the end always justifies the means - March 25, 2025
- A study of the past is usually a reasoned explanation of the present - July 16, 2024
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!
23 thoughts on “Florida church goers thwart alleged kidnapping of two little girls when one mouths: ‘Help me’”
Comments are closed.

How fortunate that the anonymous woman was able to make out what the one girl was mouthing.
Demorats blow
Hang him high
We don’t really know if this man would have raped these two girls, or possibly murdered them. The fact that he hit one of the girls several times, shows me that he can be violent. This woman who”Did the right thing, may have saved their lives” !
Just forcibly taking them is enough and do not say we dont know what he would do or not. I’d beat him to a pulp
Glad these children are safe . It could have gone the opposite way .
Hope Desantis gets involved and makes sure this bastard goes down the river to his new found friends in prison . 24/7 .
He wanted to have his way with the little girls. Now hes going to prison and be treated like a little girl but the rest of the inmates. Enjoy yourself butt boy.
bixpacreview, Here goes my second comment today on this Crap working at home. Is this maybe a Prostitution ring and this is thier way of getting the word out ? Asking for a Friend. There is so much Advertisement, Working from Home it would make a person wonder.
HANG THE GUILTY B A S T A R D ! ! ! !
USA, BLESS GOD AGAIN ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
GOD BLESS THE USA ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Barry Age 77
PO1 USN RET
Vietnam 3x (Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club)
#F J B #L G B
It isn’t all the Man’s fault, First those little Girl’s are just that too little to be comeing out of a Bar and Grill all on thier own. How far away from Home was they. They should never be out running around at thier age anyway. I put the blame on thier Parent’s. I always knew where my Kid’s were and this was a few year’s back and it is 100% Worse now with Kid’s being Abducted and sold, Raped, or Murdered.
You are a fkn moron .
You know what ? I don’t give a Damn what or who you think I am. I am and still was a Better Parent than these two Girl’s Parent’s. They should have neverf been let out on the Streets in this day and tyime as many Kid’s there is being Abducted and half of them are Sold some end up Dead. So go pedtal your FILTHY Mouth somewhere else.
You are WRONG ! it is the fault of this man, not the girls. Please DON’T blame the victims, which is what you are doing !
You think what you want. Both of those Girl’s was under 12 year’s old. It is the Parent’s fault to let them out and nobody with them. There is too much going on today to let Kid’s out alone. You don’t even know how far away those Kid’s lived from that Bar and Grill. When I raised my Daughter thing’s wasn’t as bad as it is today. I kept check on her to make sure she was gpoing where she was susposed to. In face I would drive her most of the time. Look what was going on at Disney. Our Own Government is upholding Ukraine for the Mameing, Tortureing and Murdering Kid’s just to harvest Adriochroime. I think you need to keep up with what is going on instead of trying to tell someone if they are right or wrong.
Bullet in the neck.
My question ,,what the hell were those little girls doing in the bar,,,where was those kids parents,,WTF,,,,,,FJB,,,,,,
sympl1
That was my first thought – both under 12 years old, and had just exited the Cherry’s Bar and Grill in FishHawk’s park square!!!
As long as it says grill and serves food minors are allowed inside. Just saying I wouldn’t let my children go in alone without a guardian for fear something like this would happen.
That was just what I was wondering. Where the Hell are thier so-called Parent’s ? There is so much going on these day’s Parent’s should never let thier little Girl’s be out running the road’s alone. It is bad enough when 17 and 18 year old’s go out and they end up getting Raped and Murdered. If that would have happened to these two Girl’s the Parents would say, I wonder why they was Raped or Murdered.
Because it’s a grill and sells food minors are aloud inside and yes where the f*ck were the parents. Just saying