Anika filled the detectives in about the rope fragments, sedatives found in the boy’s bloodstream, and the words he uttered. She couldn’t help keeping anger out of her voice. The detectives agreed that it had to be a case of abduction. They assured her everything would be done to nab the culprit.
Anika listened to the detectives debate next steps—trace DNA on hair left on the boy’s clothing and cross-reference with the state animal registry. “If we match, we can probably tell to whom the bear belongs,” Reed said. “That tag Parker placed will help us track it.” Parker nodded.