New York

NY Girl Allegedly Kidnapped by Neighbor Found Safe; Amber Alert Canceled

"I am asking anybody, everybody, I don't care where she is just bring her home safely to me," the missing girl's mother had said hours before the alert was canceled

What to Know

  • An Amber Alert has been canceled for a 14-year-old girl, Joanna Coates, allegedly abducted in Rochester; she was found safe
  • The alleged abductor, neighbor Robert Gonzalez, was believed to have taken her off the street Saturday night
  • The girl's mother says Gonzalez is a dangerous man and a junkie; she says she's known him since he was 16 and he's 'not a good person'

A 14-year-old girl who was allegedly snatched on a Rochester street by a neighbor over the weekend has been found safe, State Police said Tuesday.

It wasn't clear where Joanna Coates was found; more information is expected to be released later in the day. She was allegedly abducted by 41-year-old Robert Gonzalez on LaSalle Street Saturday evening, police said. Gonzalez had last been seen traveling southeast, possibly headed to New York City, officials said. 

Gonzalez was located as well. The circumstances were found were not immediately clear.

Coates' mother says Gonzalez befriended her daughter over the summer. She says she's known him for decades, since he was 16, and that he's dangerous.

"He's a junkie, he sells drugs, he pimps girls out, I don't want my daughter to be one of those people," mom Linda Hollaert told WHEC hours before her daughter was found. "I am asking anybody, everybody, I don't care where she is, just bring her home safely to me. I just want my daughter home ... please."

"I did not give permission for my daughter to be taken out of Monroe County by any man ... she is 14," Hollaert added. "I've known this man since he was 16 years old and he is not a good person."

Contact Us