JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Authorities say a 33-year-old woman is in critical condition after she and her 10-year-old daughter were abducted in Missouri and driven to Illinois before they managed to escape.
Police in Illinois said in a news release that 39-year-old Leslie Austin kidnapped the woman and their child Tuesday night in Jefferson City, Missouri. The woman was shot multiple times during the abduction. Law enforcement pursued Austin into Illinois, when the woman and girl were able to escape after the vehicle was slowed by tire-deflating “stop sticks.”
The release says the woman was taken to a hospital, but the girl wasn’t hurt.
Austin fatally shot another man while attempting to carjack his vehicle. He died after exchanging gunfire with police. It wasn’t immediately known if Austin shot himself or was shot by officers.
