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Pack Of Bloodhounds, iPad Help Track Down Man Accused Of Luring 11-Year-Old Girl Into Car

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Emily Cope Contributor
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An 11-year-old girl who was abducted in Youngwood, Pennsylvania, was found Monday after police bloodhounds traced her scent and an iPad was able to ping her location.

Pennsylvania State Troopers and the Westmoreland County Bloodhound Team responded to a missing minor report on Sunday, March 26, local ABC affiliate WTAE reported. Bloodhounds traced the girl’s scent to a gas station, where video surveillance confirmed she was last seen leaving her bicycle before walking across the street to a Dollar General.

The girl told police she was riding her bike to see her sister in Pittsburgh, about 40 miles northwest of her hometown, when she decided to stop for a break at the gas station, the outlet reported. The girl then left her bike at the station and walked to Dollar General, where she was approached by Keith Lilliock, 43, who offered to drive her to wherever she needed to go once he closed the store for the night. (RELATED: Child Claims She Was Abducted By Ice Cream Truck Driver In Staten Island)

Lilliock was taken into custody by police on Monday, March 27, and arrested on charges of luring a child into a motor vehicle and interfering with the custody of children.

Troopers said video surveillance showed Lilliock conversing with the girl for over 20 minutes. Investigators were informed that the girl had an iPad in her possession and used geolocation to find her in a nearby house in Latrobe, according to the outlet.

Police say Lilliock drove the girl to his house, where he left her in the car for five minutes while he went inside. Lilliock told police he smoked a marijuana joint while the girl was waiting in the vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

The victim told police Lilliock rubbed her leg and touched her stomach under her shirt before she asked him to drive her to a friend’s house in Latrobe. According to troopers, Lilliock admitted to offering the girl a ride but denied touching her.

When asked if anything else happened while the girl was waiting in the car, Lilliock abruptly told police, “I did not touch an 11-year-old,” the outlet reported.

Lilliock allegedly told police he used to be attracted to 16-year-old girls but has lost that attraction since becoming a Christian, the outlet reported. “He allegedly told troopers he used to be a bad guy, but he is a born-again Christian and found Jesus,” a press release from the District Attorney’s office stated.

Lilliock is being held without bail at Westmoreland County Prison.