A frantic, multi-county search for a 7-year-old girl abducted in southeast Ohio ended in tragedy Monday, with her father killed in a police standoff after a high-speed chase. Authorities confirmed the girl was rescued unharmed and returned to her family.
The search began early Monday morning when Jefferson County authorities issued an Amber Alert, reporting the girl had been taken by her father, Charles Alexander, 43. Deemed a potential danger to his daughter and lacking custody rights, Alexander triggered a statewide manhunt, with authorities racing to secure the child’s safety.
The abduction unfolded in Empire, a small Jefferson County community, according to the Ohio Amber Alert website. Medina County Sheriff Terry Grice explained during a Tuesday press conference that Alexander initially attempted to pick up his daughter from her school, though staff, aware of his lack of custody, contacted her grandmother instead. Shortly after, Alexander forcibly took the girl from her grandmother’s residence and, during his escape, reportedly struck a woman with his truck.
Several hours later, Brunswick police identified Alexander in a stolen U-Haul truck near Fairlawn. He refused to pull over, sparking a high-speed pursuit down Interstate 71. According to Brunswick Police Chief Robert Safran, Alexander threatened to kill both himself and his daughter if authorities continued the chase.
The pursuit, captured on dashcam video, showed officers from multiple agencies coordinating to bring the U-Haul to a halt. Stop sticks eventually disabled the vehicle along State Route 18 in Medina Township, where Alexander briefly continued driving before stopping in a parking lot.
Negotiations began as Alexander, who was reportedly armed, spoke with police and dispatch centers, demanding to talk to his daughter’s mother. During a 9-1-1 call released at the press conference, the girl’s voice could be heard asking, “Am I going to heaven today? I don’t want to go to heaven today,” while her father continued his demands.
Sheriff Grice confirmed that Alexander had threatened to harm his daughter multiple times throughout the standoff. After repeated warnings and an escalating situation, a member of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Response Team intervened, fatally shooting Alexander. Sheriff Grice described the difficult decision as necessary to save the child’s life.
“That decision is never made easy, but that act alone saved this little girl. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Grice said.
Police later revealed that Alexander had fired at officers from the passenger side of the U-Haul, though no officers were injured. Officials have not disclosed details on the length of negotiations or specific actions leading up to the gunfire. It remains unclear if Alexander’s daughter was in the truck’s passenger seat during the shooting, though authorities confirmed she was unharmed.
Following the incident, Sheriff Grice noted that at one point during the pursuit, Alexander held his daughter on his lap and threatened her with a gun. The Amber Alert was canceled after the incident, and investigators from the Medina County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, have begun examining the events leading to Alexander’s death.
Authorities confirmed that Alexander had a history of mental illness and noted that the abduction took place on his daughter’s birthday.
Officials are requesting anyone with further information to contact the Medina County Sheriff’s Office.
