GRETNA, Neb. (KMTV) — Suspicious debits led a family in Gretna to reach out to a hotel in Michigan. What happened next "shocked" the McQuains.
- Sunday night, shortly before 11:30, Abigale McQuain received a text alert about suspicious activity relating to her debit card.
- Abigale's mom immediately began looking into the withdrawals - including reaching out to a hotel in Allen Park, Mich.
- Police investigated, and found the man suspected of stealing from Abigale's account also had twin 14-year-olds, to whom he is not related, with him. The girls had been missing for about a month.
Continue reading for the expanded story:
The first flag came around 11:30 Sunday night by way of a text from the McQuain's bank.
"I was like -- what is this? I'm here laying in my bed. Of course I didn't do that," Abigale, 16, said of her initial reaction.
Abigale still had her card, so it's unclear how it was compromised. That night, she went straight to her mom, Megan, and together, they discovered several debits totaling nearly $500. One of the withdrawals was for a Comfort Inn in Allen Park, a suburb of Detroit.
"I called the front desk and... He had just checked in. (The manager) started looking through and she got his name - basically all the information. She forwarded me all the stuff that I needed so I could file a report for the police," Megan explained.
Omaha Police came quickly to the McQuain home, as the hotel manager reached out to police in Allen Park. Early Monday morning, they arrested the man suspected of stealing from Abigale's account.
Then Wednesday: new information. The McQuains were stunned by what police explained.
"My daughter is 16. I couldn't imagine," Megan said, as her eyes filled up.
KMTV partnered with sister station WXYZ in Detroit which discovered, because of Megan's call, two girls - missing 14-year-old twins - were found. They were with the man who investigators describe as 'not a relative' in that hotel room.
Abigale reflected on finding out herself, saying, "When I was sitting there listening, I don't know how to feel. I just want to cry. I wanted to give them a hug. I was just so shocked. It just turned out to be so much more than I thought. I thought it was just my debit card information being stolen."
It's clear now that their quick action helped police find the girls. The sisters had been missing for about a month.
"To sit there and think - if that was her? I fear, as a parent all the time when my kids leave... Are they gonna come home safely? I mean, we live in a great area here, but you know, evil lurks everywhere," Megan said.
She and Abigale encourage parents and kids to be open with each other and act quickly on your instincts. What could have happened if they didn't? It's hard to say, but they do know the account was used to pay for another hotel room in Miami Springs, Fla. - reserved for April 21st.
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