Tragic End to Ohio Pursuit: Man Holds Daughter at Gunpoint in Standoff
In a dramatic series of events across multiple Ohio counties, the search for a young girl abducted by her father ended in a tragic confrontation that left him dead. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office issued an Amber Alert early Monday, reporting that 43-year-old Charles Alexander had abducted his 7-year-old daughter, despite having no custody rights and being considered a potential threat to her safety. The incident began in Empire, Ohio, where Alexander forcibly took the child from her grandmother’s house after his attempt to pick her up from school was thwarted.
According to Jefferson County officials, school staff, aware of the custody situation, refused to release the child to Alexander and contacted her grandmother instead. After leaving the scene, Alexander struck a woman with his Ford F-150 before fleeing. Hours later, Brunswick police officers spotted Alexander in a stolen U-Haul truck on a highway in the Fairlawn area. When police attempted to stop him, Alexander led officers on a high-speed chase along Interstate 71, during which he threatened to shoot himself and his daughter if police continued to pursue him.
Dashcam footage from the chase shows police deploying stop sticks, eventually disabling the U-Haul near State Route 18 in Medina Township. At that point, Alexander threatened harm to himself and his daughter, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Response Team was called in to assist. According to Sheriff Terry Grice, the situation reached a critical moment when Alexander allegedly pointed a gun toward officers. Law enforcement took action, with a member of the response team ultimately “neutralizing the threat.”
During the police pursuit, authorities say Alexander placed his daughter on his lap and held a gun to her, adding to the urgency of the situation. In distressing 911 calls played during a press conference, the girl was heard saying, “Am I going to heaven today? I don’t want to go to heaven today,” while Alexander asked to speak with her mother. Officials confirmed that no police officers were injured, and, fortunately, Alexander’s daughter emerged from the ordeal unharmed and has since been safely reunited with her family.
The Medina County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, has taken over the investigation. Sheriff Grice also confirmed that Alexander had a history of mental illness and noted that the incident coincided with his daughter’s birthday. Authorities are requesting anyone with additional information to contact the Medina County Sheriff’s Office.
