Authorities Investigate Abduction Reports

The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office and Traverse City Police Department both reported Wednesday receiving mutliple reports through social media about potential abduction attempts in the Traverse City area.

The TCPD said it had one official case it was investigating, but was aware reports of others were circulating. Last Friday at 1pm, police officers were dispatched to the 400 block of West Fifteenth Street after a 24-year-old Traverse City woman reported suspicious activity. The woman told officers a female salesperson came to her door holding a bottle of Oxy Clean and stating she was selling cleaning products. The saleswoman arrived in a black Yukon with tinted windows driven by an unknown person.

After the resident told the woman she didn't want to buy any products, the woman went to the car and retrieved a few large boxes and returned to the front door. She then attempted to enter the home, but the resident shut and locked the door. The woman returned to the Yukon, put the boxes in the back, and got into the front seat. The car was last seen traveling south on Veterans Drive.

The saleswoman was described as being in her mid-twenties, white, 5'3", and of average build with brown hair in a ponytail. She had a tattoo on her right collarbone and was wearing a light-colored "scrub" top and black pants. The resident wasn't able to obtain a license plate for the vehicle.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the TCPD at 231-995-5150. The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office is also offering the following advice for residents who are approached by strangers at their homes:

• Make sure your door is locked.
• Do not open the door. If you are concerned, speak to them through the door.
• If you choose to ignore them, make sure they know you are home and just choose to ignore them.
• Do not let them in your home.
• Do not give them any personal information.
• Ask them for identification.
• If you want them to leave, tell them to leave.
• If possible, take a picture of them and/or their vehicle.
• If they persist or become violent, call 911.