Abducted North Carolina teen found alive in Arkansas; kidnapping suspect dies after shootout with police
William Robert Ice, 38, of Jackson Center, Pa. is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 14-year-old missing North Carolina girl was found alive and safe in Arkansas, as a police officer was hospitalized in stable condition Sunday after being shot during a confrontation at a McDonald’s restaurant with the man who allegedly abducted her on Feb. 11, according to reports.
William Robert Ice, 38, of Jackson Center, Pennsylvania, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after fleeing from authorities. (Courtesy Pennsylvania State Police)
William Robert Ice, 38, of Jackson Center, Pennsylvania, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after fleeing from authorities, according to the Arkansas State Police. Kidnapped teen Savannah Grace Childress fled from the vehicle and was secured by a state trooper.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A pair of Lonoke, Arkansas police officers confronted Ice, the driver of an SUV parked at the fast-food restaurant Saturday night, after the vehicle was connected to the North Carolina child abduction case.
The driver began shooting at the officers as he exited the SUV. One officer was hit while the other one, who was uninjured, returned gunfire as Ice entered the vehicle again and fled, according to state police.
An Arkansas State Trooper spotted the SUV and pursued it until the vehicle became disabled in a snowbank.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Inside the SUV, a trooper found Ice critically injured from what preliminarily appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Ice later died at a Little Rock hospital.
Arkansas State Police, working with sheriff’s deputies in Davidson County, North Carolina, and with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation determined the girl had been kidnapped.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ice also was wanted by Pennsylvania law enforcement authorities in connection with other child predator cases, according to Arkansas State Police.
"His body has been submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory to determine the manner and cause of death," the Arkansas State Police said in a statement. "The wounded Lonoke police officer is reported to be in stable condition at a Little Rock hospital."
The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office said that "without the teamwork of all law enforcement agencies involved the outcome of this case could have been much different."
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