Osage County deputies say man dead after crashing his car during pursuit after kidnapping child

A man is dead after the Osage County Sheriff’s Office says he abducted a 10-year-old girl and ran from deputies across Osage County.

WHAT INVESTIGATORS SAY

Investigators say the man who took the girl was a family friend, but both family and deputies quickly became concerned when that man wouldn’t answer his phone. 

"He was just identified as a family friend, so at first it wasn't really abnormal probably, for her to be with him, but the situation, not being able to get ahold of him, changed pretty quickly through that investigation,” said Osage County Sheriff Bart Perrier.

Deputies believe 51-year-old Jimmie Schimmels, Jr. took the girl Saturday afternoon and stopped responding to family, leading to a search.

"With interviews with the family actually, develop a suspect and at that point, we started doing phone pings and that's when we reached out to social media,” said Perrier.

Deputies say that search started in the Webb City area, in rural northwest Osage County.

Deputies, OHP Troopers, and local police all looked for both the girl and Schimmels.

Deputies say law enforcement was able to track down Schimmels’s vehicle at a remote ranch near the Kansas/Oklahoma state line.

They say Schimmels’s vehicle was parked in a field, and law enforcement activated their lights and sirens.

Deputies say Schimmels drove away, leading to a 20 mile chase.

The pursuit eventually circled back to Webb City near the girl's home.

Deputies say that’s when the child got out of the vehicle and was quickly reunited with her family.

Right now investigators are not releasing any information on if the girl was hurt during her time with Schimmels.

Deputies say the girl told them Schimmels had a gun as he sped off toward Highway 11.

"When she exited the vehicle, we discovered, she immediately said he had a firearm,” said Perrier. “So we knew the situation was drastic, potentially, at that point."

They say shortly after that, Schimmels lost control and crashed near Pawhuska.

Deputies say Schimmels died at the scene.

"This is tragic, no matter where you're at. But in rural Osage County, where everybody knows everybody, this is still a community people probably don't lock doors,” said Perrier. “They feel pretty safe. For this to happen, it's a tragedy."

WHAT’S NEXT

OHP and the OSBI are both helping the Osage County Sheriff’s Office in this investigation.