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UPDATE: Over 400 tips reported in search for abductor in Isle of Wight

Posted at 4:21 PM, Oct 02, 2013
and last updated 2013-11-01 15:24:36-04

UPDATE: Agencies in both Virginia and North Carolina are working to find the man believed to have abducted and raped a young girl.

Police are sharing more information on how they're trying to crack this case. Investigators are saying the sketch has helped to generate more than 400 tips.

But they say some of these aren't solid because people aren't paying close attention to the description.

The FBI is still fully involved and investigators from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are also working on this case. 

If you know anything that could help with this case, please call the dedicated tip line at 757-365-6290. You can also call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. 

Isle of Wight County, Va. - One week into their investigation, Isle of Wight deputies say their search to find a man accused of abducting and sexually abusing a young girl is as active as ever.

Wanted posters hang on storefronts in the area and electronic billboards are now up on some major highways.

Sheriff Mark Marshall tells NewsChannel 3 he feels confident they will catch him but not without help from the public. He believes someone out there holds a key piece of information.

"If this person is not caught, he's going to do it again and that's chilling,” says Marshall.

An 11-year-old girl told police a man took her from her bus stop last week and sexually assaulted her.

She gave deputies a remarkable description.

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The abductor is described as an older white male who is about 178 pounds and around 5'8. He has short blonde hair, a thick beard, no mustache and bushy blonde eyebrows. He has blue eyes, yellow teeth, a wide nose and he has lots of freckles on his face and arms.

Officials say he was wearing small round glasses, cut off jean shorts and a tan shirt. He also had on brown and blue tennis shoes. His speech is described as "slow."

Details that, the sheriff says, they as well as state and federal officials have looked at with a critical eye.

She also remembered very specific details about the car he drove and where he took her.

Police say the girl was abducted at around 8 a.m. off Route 17 in Carrollton.

The girl says she was forced into his car and was sexually assaulted twice.

The vehicle is a 1995-2001 Chevrolet Cavalier, two-door, light grey or silver in color.

Officials say the vehicle has black and gray interior with manual roll up windows.

Inside of the console are three homemade clay sculptures. One was star shaped and painted black with stripes. Another was green, another was pink. A child may have had them. They say the interior was cluttered with balled up papers in the back.

IOW_Sexual_Assault_Suspect

Click to view WANTED poster

"There was obviously a level of preparation prior to this event and during the event. This was a planned event,” Marshall said.

The sheriff's office says while it appears premeditated, they don't believe the girl was specifically part of that plan.

Investigators say the suspect made reference to his wife, then asked a Suffolk trash collector for directions.

"Given the nature of this crime and her age, her veracity for this event is intact,” says Marshall.

This is motivating them that much more to put a name to the face.

"This is somebody's husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, acquaintance,” says Marshall.

Officials say they need to locate an old, abandoned two-story, wood framed house. It has no shingles on the roof and it is partially collapsing. An old sofa can be seen through a collapsed wall. The home is located approximately 200 yards off the paved road but can be seen from the road. There are discarded HVAC units in the yard.

Across the road from the abandoned house are newer homes. The closest is a well-kept, two-story house, white with red shutters and a gray roof. There is a new wooden fence around the back yard but no fencing in the front yard.

Click here to see the full release.

This location may be anywhere along the Route 13 corridor leading into North Carolina.

Descriptions of the suspect and vehicle have been circulated to all media in Virginia and parts of North Carolina and the information is being displayed on electronic billboards along interstate highways in Chesapeake, Hampton and Portsmouth.

In the meantime, people in the community are also doing their part to raise awareness and send a message to the little girl's family.

A community walk has been organized for next weekend to put an end to sexual violence.

Hopefully solving this case can provide the little girl and her family with some peace.

If you have any information that could help police capture this suspect, please call 757-365-6290.

Click here to read more about the walk.