A Connecticut man who is suspected of kidnapping a 12-year-old girl from a park in Massachusetts and sexually assaulting her in Thompson has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint in connection with the case. The arrest comes after DNA from cigarette butts linked him to the case, according to the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut.
Joshua Besaw, 35, of Thompson, was arrested Wednesday, appeared in court in Hartford and was ordered to be detained, according to U.S. Attorney John H. Durham.
Federal officials said Besaw encountered the girl on May 31 at a park in Webster, Massachusetts, identified himself as “Chuck,” enticed her into his vehicle and drove her to a wooded area in Thompson, where he sexually assaulted her.
Then he drove her to Dudley, Massachusetts and left her in an unfamiliar neighborhood, federal officials said.
The girl was able to borrow a phone from a stranger to contact her parents and they picked her up and brought her to the police station to report the incident.
Officials said Besaw was identified as a suspect after an extensive investigation. On July 10, investigators conducting surveillance of Besaw collected cigarette butts that he had discarded.
“It is alleged that DNA evidence collected from the discarded cigarette butts matched DNA evidence collected from the minor victim on May 31, 2019,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Besaw was charged with kidnapping and with transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
