When a person goes missing , it’s easy to fear the worst . After all, if a person isn’t found quickly, the chances of finding them safe diminish with every passing second.
A recent saga in Hawaii fortunately came to a happy ending after a missing teenager was rescued from her captor. A pair of Good Samaritans saw the teen and stepped in to save her.
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It went down on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Police say that 15-year-old Mikella Debina and her boyfriend were hanging out at a secluded beach on Anaehoomalu Bay when they were approached by a man with a knife, who t*****p Debina’s boyfriend before kidnapping the girl.
An Amber Alert was issued immediately.
After the abduction was reported to police, they put out a Maile Amber Alert looking for help in finding Mikella Debina. Her abduction was the subject of wall-to-wall reporting as authorities and civilians combed the Big Island for any sign of the missing teen.
Debina was eventually spotted.
The day after she was abducted, Debina and the man accused of abducting her were spotted in a restaurant in Hilo. Restaurant host Bridge Harman says he immediately knew something was amiss. When he looked closer, he noticed that Debina — who was dressed in a disguise — was the same girl from the Amber Alert.
Bystanders immediately sprung into action.
“I yelled out, ‘That’s the girl! That’s the Amber Alert girl,” said Hartman . Guests at the restaurant, who were well aware of the Amber Alert, heard Hartman and worked together to get Debina to a safe space.
She was rushed away from her captor.
Kori Takaki was eating in the restaurant when Hartman spotted the missing girl. The two worked together to grab Debina, move her away from her alleged captor, and get her to a safe spot in the back of the restaurant.
Police arrived at the scene within minutes.
With Debina safely in the back of the restaurant, attention turned to the man accused of kidnapping her, 52-year-old Duncan Mahi. Diners and staff were able to subdue Mahi as they waited for police to arrive.
Debina was reunited with her family.
It was a joyful scene as Debina was reunited with her family. Her mom, Cher Angelel, praised the quick-thinking restaurant staff and patrons, calling them “heroes” for “ripping [Debina] away” from the man accused of abducting her.
Hartman and Takaki were strangers to each other.
After teaming up to save Mikella Debina from what could have been a horrifying fate, they’re being hailed as heroes.
“I’m just glad to be home and knowing everybody’s safe,” said Takaki . “It was quite the emotional day. Yeah, lots of emotions.”
Mahi faces several charges.
After being taken into custody, police charged the suspect with two counts of kidnapping and one count each of first-degree s*x assault, terroristic threatening, robbery, and meth trafficking. The charges are pending as he sits in jail on a $2 million bail.
The kindness of strangers is underrated.
This story combines the worst elements of humanity with the best. Mikella Debina and her family are in our thoughts as they recover from the ordeal.
Let us know what you think of this story in the comments section.
h/t: KHON2 News
Last Updated on September 29, 2022 by D
