13-Year-Old Kansas Girl Dies After Being Dragged By Her Family's Stolen Vehicle

A 13-year-old girl from Kansas has died after being dragged for several miles by her family's stolen SUV, police said.

The incident happened in Wichita on Saturday afternoon. The girl was sitting inside the unlocked Ford Escape, with its engine still on, while her family went to pick up food from a restaurant.

The suspect, who was later identified as 34-year-old Kevin Palmer, jumped into the car and drove off while the girl was still sitting in the backseat. The victim tried to escape from the moving vehicle but was stuck with the seat belt outside of the car. She ended up being dragged for miles, reported New York Daily News.

The police arrived at the scene after someone called 911 and followed the vehicle. Palmer eventually stopped the car and ran away, leaving the carjacked vehicle.

The girl, who remains unidentified, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the jail records, Palmer has been arrested on charges of felony murder, theft of property and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Palmer had been convicted a dozen times in the past for theft, burglary and fleeing the police, reported local news outlet KWCH. The investigation is ongoing and Palmer is being held on a $500,000 bond at Sedgwick County Jail.

"This is one of the saddest cases I have been associated with in my over 28 years of law enforcement," Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said in a news release. "WPD sends its thoughts and prayers to family, friends, and others affected by this tragic incident."

In a similar incident in Minneapolis, the police issued an amber alert on Saturday after a 1-year-old boy was taken along with a stolen vehicle, reported CBS Minnesota. The infant's mother buckled the child inside the car and left the car running while she ran back inside to get something. However, the car and the boy were gone when she came back out.

A woman spotted the stolen vehicle in a parking lot with the child inside and called the police. When the police arrived at the scene, they found the car left at the entrance of the church with its engine running. The child did not sustain injuries from the incident.