He Allegedly Kidnapped A 15-Year-Old And Held Her For Nearly Four Years.
In 2022, a 12-year-old Wisconsin girl began communicating online with 33-year-old Owen Lars Anderson through platforms including Kik, Discord and Signal.
Investigators said Anderson knew the girl was being abused at home and promised she could live with him, where she would have food, freedom and protection.
During their online conversations, Anderson allegedly exposed himself to the child, pressured her to create explicit videos and threatened to send the recordings to her family if she refused his demands.
On June 23, 2022, the girl, who was then 15, left her mother’s home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and purchased a burner phone using money Anderson had sent her.
Anderson allegedly arranged for a rideshare driver to transport the girl to Chicago, Illinois, where he met her at a movie theater and drove her out of state.
Investigators said Anderson reset the girl’s cellphone and discarded both her phone and the burner phone in a trash can.
The child was reported missing later that day.
Over the next four years, Milwaukee investigators followed leads and distributed information about her disappearance throughout the United States.
From June 2022 until May 2026, Anderson allegedly held the girl inside his Blacksburg, Virginia, home and prevented her from attending school.
The victim told investigators Anderson repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted her, forced her to watch pornography and child sexual abuse material and threatened to harm her family if she attempted to leave.
She also accused Anderson of striking her with objects, calling her degrading names and strangling her on several occasions.
On May 26, 2026, police in Virginia responded to a domestic disturbance involving the victim.
The girl initially gave officers a false name but later contacted the department and revealed she was the Milwaukee child who had been missing for nearly four years.
She warned investigators that Anderson owned firearms and could retaliate.
A tactical team later executed a search warrant at Anderson’s home and arrested him without incident.
Authorities said Anderson was carrying two loaded handguns, 14 spare magazines, several knives and multiple containers of pepper spray when he was taken into custody.
Investigators recovered electronic devices, storage drives, journals and other evidence from the home.
Anderson was charged in Wisconsin with kidnapping, child enticement and abduction of a child.
On July 28, 2026, Anderson was arraigned in Virginia on 55 additional counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken control of much of the digital evidence due to the size and complexity of the investigation.
Federal charges may also be filed.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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