Police said the unidentified man emerged from a white utility van that had been following the girl on Halloween night.
KELSO, Wash. — Police are seeking information after a girl reported that a man got out of a white utility van and grabbed her arm while she was trick-or-treating on Halloween night before she fought him off and escaped.
Kelso police said officers were sent to the 700 block of Laurel Street at about 6:54 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, after receiving a report involving a juvenile girl. The girl told officers that the white utility van had been following her along the roadway before a man got out and approached her. Police said the man grabbed her by the arm, but she escaped by kicking him in the groin. She was not injured.
The girl described the man as white and said he was wearing a black hoodie and dark-colored jeans, according to the Kelso Police Department. Authorities have not publicly identified the girl, and police have not released a name for the man or a license plate number for the vehicle. The department has described him as a suspect based on the girl’s report.
Officers searched the surrounding neighborhood after receiving the call but did not find a man or vehicle matching the descriptions, police said. Investigators also contacted nearby residents and looked for security-camera footage that might have captured the encounter or the van. Police said the neighborhood search did not uncover useful video of the incident.
A second report involving a similarly described vehicle came from nearby Longview shortly after Kelso officers responded, authorities said. Longview police were dispatched after receiving information about a vehicle that was possibly following children who were also out trick-or-treating. Authorities have not established that the Longview report involved the same van or the same man.
The timing of the reports drew attention because both occurred as children were walking through residential neighborhoods on Halloween evening. Kelso police have not announced evidence showing that the man intended to abduct the girl, and no arrest has been made. The department’s initial public statement described the case as an investigation into a suspicious subject.
By Nov. 3, investigators still had no information identifying the man, Kelso Police Capt. Mark Berglund told People. Berglund said the case was inactive because of an absence of leads. An inactive case does not mean the reported encounter has been disproved; it means police do not currently have enough information to continue pursuing a suspect without new evidence.
Police have not released additional details about the white utility van, including its make, model, year or license plate. They also have not said whether investigators found evidence connecting the Kelso report to the similar call received by Longview police. No other injuries were reported in the information released by authorities.
The Kelso Police Department continues to seek information that could identify the man or vehicle. As of Wednesday, authorities had not announced an arrest or publicly identified a suspect in the Halloween-night encounter.
Author note: Last updated November 4, 2026.