Joseph Andrew Bragg, 28, from International Falls, Minnesota, was arrested and charged with kidnapping and first-degree criminal sexual conduct after abducting a 7-year-old girl from Zimmerman following her school bus stop.
Abduction Timeline
On January 21, 2026, around 4 p.m., the girl exited her bus near her home; doorbell footage captured her walking then turning back out of view. Reported missing at 6:30 p.m., an Amber Alert issued at 11:40 p.m. after cell data and rental vehicle tracking identified Bragg’s white Dodge Ram heading south toward Iowa. Freeborn County deputies stopped him near Albert Lea around 1 a.m. on January 22, finding the unharmed but traumatized girl hidden amid belongings in the back seat.
Investigation Findings
Bragg had contacted the girl’s mother via Facebook in December, inquiring about her children before being blocked; location data placed his rental near the bus stop on abduction day and the prior day. He used Lyft to transport her from Hamel/Corcoran to a Plymouth Ramada Inn (booked since late December), entering with a heavy red suitcase and assaulting her inside before fleeing after 30 minutes, per hotel surveillance and victim statements.
Charges and Response
Appearing in Sherburne County court January 23, Bragg faces felony counts with no prior major record; authorities probe his targeting motive and social media outreach to local mothers posing as a babysitter seeker. Community searches aided recovery; officials urged stranger danger talks.
