12-year-old's text led to arrest of man charged with her rape, family says
Texting 911 helped save a 12-year-old Durham girl’s life, family members said.
WRAL News spoke with the family of a girl who authorities said was kidnapped and raped.
Authorities found her and Preston Baker, the man accused of taking her, on Saturday afternoon during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near Jones Sausage Road.
“She was in the vehicle,” the girl’s father said. “According to her, she was not allowed to talk on the phone, but she was allowed to text.”
WRAL News is not identifying the girl or her father.
Authorities said Baker took the girl to the North Carolina coast.
Jacob Butcher, assistant director of the Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center, said texting 911 is often used by people who are deaf or mute. But it can help in situations where the witness or victim of a crime can’t make a call.
“You think about domestic violence situations where someone may be hiding under a bed, or an active assailant, situations in schools of other facilities,” he said.
Butcher said by texting 911, the communications teams will respond and ask the texter for their location.
“It will read like a text from your cell phone it pops up with bubbles look exactly the same,” Butcher said.
Butcher said to provide information as accurately as possible when reaching out for help.
“Sticking with questions, and clear and concise answers will expedite the response,” he said.
Butcher said that among the 550,000 emergency calls the Raleigh-Wake Emergency communications Center received in 2023, only 1,500 were texts.
However, Butcher said it is important to call 911 first instead of texting if you can.
According to Butcher, part of the center’s public safety campaign and education is to teach students and senior citizens about texting 911 if they need help.
