On Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 4:55PM, a 2-year-old child was kidnapped from a self-serve car wash at 14929 Western Av in the City of Gardena.
Every available resource we had was utilized to search for the victim.
We saw an unprecedented response from our community; as more than 50 volunteers, explorers and citizens arrived to the scene within an hour & ½ of the crime. Our volunteers were used to canvas the nearby neighborhood.
Detectives identified a possible suspect vehicle as a white 4-door Nissan Altima with tinted windows. This information was immediately provided to the Media where it was broadcast throughout the region.
At about 7:15PM (nearly 2-1/2 hours after she was kidnapped), the victim was found in an empty, dark parking lot near 8022 Atlantic Av, in the City of Cudahy. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded and took care & custody of the child. They brought her to a local hospital for treatment. The victim was then immediately united with her family at the hospital.
During the days that followed several tips were called in to the Gardena Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies. Gardena Police Detectives worked day and night since the kidnapping in order to find the person responsible for this horrific attack.
A tip was received on Sunday, April 5, 2015 that led investigators to a person of interest in the City of Torrance.
On Thursday, April 9, 2015 (7 days after the kidnapping) 36-year-old MICHAEL DAVID IKELER, from the City of TORRANCE was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of the 2-year-old victim
Some of the evidence that links the suspect to the crime is the following:
• The suspect owns a white Nissan Altima with tinted windows.
• The suspect altered the look of his vehicle following the crime
• Two independent witnesses place the suspect at the scene of the crime
• Other scientific evidence, including DNA links the suspect to the crime
The case was presented to the LA County DA’s office where they filed kidnapping and sexual assault charges against Michael David Ikeler
