Kidnapped girl found well

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33154, 19 February 1973, Page 14

Kidnapped girl found well

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) FREEPORT (Great Bahama Island), February 17. The four-year-old daughter of a bank manager, kidnapped from her home and held for $U5250.000 ransom, untied her bonds today and fled an abandoned rural church where her abductors had held her for 36 hours. United Press International reported.

Three United States tourists, who were searching for flowers near the church, found the girl and returned her home unharmed, police said.

[still be in the area of the 'church. “Andrea untied herself and broke her bonds and ran to the road where she came upon the American tourists,” a spokesman for the Spencer family said. He also reported she was “in good health and unharmed.”

A doctor who examined the child said she suffered only a slight cough from exposure and wrist burns where she was bound.

Andrea Spencer was seized by two gunmen on Thursday night. Authorities said the men had not bothered to collect their ransom, which had been left near a cement factory and had since been recovered.

Andrea, daughter of a Canadian banker, Mr Robert Spencer, aged 40, and his wife, Joan, was spotted by the tourists about .eight miles from her home. One of the tourists said, “She was just wandering loose. We hid her (in the car) so we could get out of there as soon as possible.” He said he recognised the child from radio reports and feared the kidnappers might

He told reporters the kidnappers had earlier led Mr Spencer on a seven-hour journey through hotels and restaurants before ordering the $250,000 ransom placed near the abandoned cement factory.