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Nearly four decades after a heinous crime shook a Florida community, justice finally seems within reach. A man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl in 1989 has been arrested in the Philippines, according to authorities and media reports.
Last Thursday, 69-year-old Tom Talmadge was taken into custody at his home in Cavite. The arrest follows a pivotal development in the case, where DNA evidence tied him to the long-unsolved crime, as announced by the Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines.
The case dates back to a distressing incident at Tampa Lanes, a now-defunct bowling alley in Florida. Talmadge allegedly coaxed the young girl into his vehicle by giving her coins for arcade games, as reported by Fox13 Tampa. After the abduction, he is accused of sexually assaulting her before abandoning her at a different bowling alley, all while patrons and staff desperately searched for her.
A significant breakthrough came when U.S. investigators discovered crucial genealogical evidence, leading to a warrant issued on March 20 in Hillsborough County, Florida, for Talmadge’s arrest. This development has renewed hope for justice in a case that has haunted many for years.
He allegedly sexually battered the child and dropped her off at a different bowling alley as customers and employees frantically searched for the missing girl, the outlet reported.
She was later recognized by a man at the second bowling alley.
The case ran cold until the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed an alleged match between Talmadge and preserved DNA evidence.
Talmadge has been charged with sexual battery on a victim less than 12 years old by an adult, lewd and lascivious acts on a child, and kidnapping to commit a felony on a child.
The creep is also the subject of a deportation case for undesirability regarding his status as a fugitive from justice, authorities said.
Talmage was brought to the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, and will remain behind bars there pending deportation proceedings, immigration officials added.
The arrest was part of the Bureau of Immigration’s “#ShieldKids” campaign, which aims to prevent the Philippines from becoming a haven for foreign sex offenders.
“We will continue to work closely with international counterparts to protect Filipino children and uphold justice,” Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said in a statement. “Foreign fugitives who commit crimes against children will find no refuge here.