4 Years Old Missing After Intruder Enters Home And Brutally Beats Mother

A desperate hunt was on in Charleston, South Carolina, for a 4-year-old girl who vanished from her home after an intruder forced his way in and beat her mother so badly she had to be taken to a hospital, police said today.

The child, 4-year-old Heidi Ranae Todd, was reported missing about 5:50 p.m. Tuesday in the Johns Island area of Charleston after police were called to her family's house and found the mother had been assaulted, Charleston Police Chief Jerome Taylor said a news conference today.



Police were called to the house on Sweetleaf Lane after Heidi's mother did not show up at a school to pick up her other children, he said.

The mother told police a man forced his way into the home and beat her, the chief added.

"It was an unwanted guest. She did not invite anyone into her residence," Taylor said. "The individual was not invited into the residence."

The chief did not describe the incident as a kidnapping, saying, "I don't know if she [Heidi] is with this particular individual or not."

Two other children were inside the home at the time of the attack, Taylor said, but Heidi was the only one missing.

The FBI is involved in the investigation and has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Heidi's recovery.

"Help us in this most serious matter. Heidi Todd is missing. We need everyone to help find her," Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said at the news conference, holding up a flier with a picture of the curly-haired girl.

Heidi was last seen wearing pink pants and blue shirt, police said.

Taylor said the mother described her attacker as possibly Hispanic, skinny, 25 to 30 years old with short hair and dressed in all gray.



Mayor Tecklenburg added, "The mother is in the hospital. She was brutally beaten and is in reasonably fair condition."

The mother, whose name was not released, might have to undergo surgery, he said.

Heidi's father is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard and was out of town on a training exercise at the time of the attack, Tecklenburg said, adding the father has since returned home.

Chief Taylor said, "At the present time, we are trying to unravel a motive. We are leaving no stone unturned to determine what occurred.”

The mayor said there was no Amber alert issued for Heidi because authorities did not have enough information to meet the criteria for one.

"We don't even know if a vehicle was involved," Tecklenburg said.