9-Year-Old Girl Held Captive, Beaten and Molested by Indiana Man

A 42-year-old Indiana man is facing several charges, including attempted murder, after authorities found a missing 9-year-old girl badly beaten inside his home.

The police had received a report about a missing child past 7 p.m. on Apr. 19. The child's parents called for help after their daughter went missing from their home in Lafayette, Indiana for around 30 minutes, Crime Online reported.

Police identified the suspect as James Brian Chadwell II, who reportedly lured the victim inside his home by offering to let her pet his dogs.

Several neighbors told the police that Chadwell had commented about seeing the child after being reported missing.

Indiana Man Caught

When police arrived at Chadwell's residence, a minute away from the girl's house, he denied knowing the victim's whereabouts. But the Indiana man admitted that the girl went to his home earlier and left.

Authorities searched his house after the suspect permitted them. Police then searched the home, including the basement, which had a chain lock on the door. When the officers got the door opened, they heard a child crying from the bottom of the basement stairs.

The girl told the police officers that Chadwell tried to kill her. The victim had bruises and strangulation marks on her neck. She also had dog bites on her leg. The girl was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

Chadwell was arrested on charges of attempted murder, two counts of child molesting, kidnapping, criminal confinement, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and strangulation, according to WTHR 13. The Indiana man is currently being held on a $50,000 cash bond.

"There are people out there that will victimize children and this is a perfect example of this happening," Lafayette Police Lt. Randy Sherer said in a report. Sherer urged parents to talk to their children and "educate them."

Court documents showed that the suspect had forced the girl into the basement where he assaulted her. The girl said that Chadwell told her that he would kill her if she screamed or reported the incident.

Meanwhile, Marissa Briggs, someone who lived across the street, said that she tells her kids to avoid going outside unless an adult is out there with them.

"I don't trust too many people and this is exactly the reason why," Briggs noted.

Police said the investigation is ongoing, and they urged anyone with information regarding this case to call the authorities at 765-807-1200 or call the WeTIP hotline at 800-78-CRIME.

Child Abuse

In 2010, a Department of Health and Human Services' Children Bureau report showed that 9.2 percent of victimized children were sexually assaulted.

Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, David Finkelhor, stated in his study that one in five girls and one in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse, Victims of Crime reported.

American Indian and Alaska Native victims have the highest rate of child abuse in the U.S., with a rate of 5.2 cases per 1,000 children, according to a Statista report.

In 2019, about 165,016 child abuse cases were reported. The most common incidents occur among children between two to five years old.

WATCH: Lafayette Man Arrested in 9-Year-Old Neighbor's Disappearance - From WTHR