Picture the trunk of a car. Dark. Moving fast. And a woman inside it, phone pressed to her face, whispering to her mother that a man with a gun has her children — her 11-year-old and her 6-year-old — locked in the back seat while he drives toward a body of water.
On September 1, 2026, the Colleton County Sheriff's Office responded to a report in Colleton County, South Carolina: a woman's ex-boyfriend was trying to harm her and her two children. By the time deputies arrived, he had forced her into the trunk of her own vehicle at gunpoint.
According to the sheriff's preliminary investigation, Edward P. Smalls Jr. — also published as Edward Pierre Smalls Jr., 36 — bound the 11-year-old's mouth, wrists, and ankles with duct tape. Then he fled in the vehicle with both children inside and the mother still sealed in the trunk.
He told the woman he was taking them to a body of water.
That is the moment that changes everything in this story. Because the mother had a phone. And in the dark of that trunk, she called her mother.
Her mother — the grandmother of those two children — tracked the phone. She followed the vehicle. She stayed on the line with 911 and kept dispatchers updated in real time as the car moved through Colleton County.
Deputies located the vehicle on Ritter Road near Hendersonville Highway and attempted a traffic stop. Smalls refused. According to law enforcement, he hit speeds of 80 to 90 miles per hour — at times exceeding 100. Deputies broke off the close pursuit because of the children in the vehicle and stayed on the car from a distance.
He lost control. The vehicle crashed in a field near Little Elbow Drive. After the crash, Smalls saw a Colleton County Sheriff's Office K-9 deputy and surrendered.
All three were removed from the vehicle. Sheriff Guerry L. "Buddy" Hill Jr. reported that they sustained minor injuries from the collision. Colleton County Fire-Rescue transported all three to a hospital.
They are safe.
Smalls faces a staggering list of published charges: three counts kidnapping; assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature; two counts unlawful conduct toward a child; failure to stop for blue lights; two counts child endangerment; grand larceny; and a bond violation on a prior attempted-murder charge from the Walterboro Police Department.
"Colleton County Deputies Apprehend Kidnapping Suspect, All Three Victims Are Safe." — Colleton County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Guerry L. "Buddy" Hill Jr., September 1, 2026.
Two children are home because their grandmother would not stop following that car. And because their mother — in the trunk, in the dark, at gunpoint distance from a body of water — used her phone to reach the one person she knew would not hang up.
Every child is one of ours.
1. A phone in the hands of a victim is a lifeline. This mother had a phone with her. In the trunk. She used it. If you are ever forcibly moved, and you can dial, dial. Even if you can't speak loudly. Even if you can only stay on the line. A live 911 call with a location is a pursuit already in progress.
2. Know who to call — and make sure they will answer. The mother called her own mother. That grandmother tracked the phone, followed the vehicle, and fed 911 real-time location updates. Have a plan. Know which person in your family will pick up any call, any hour, and stay calm enough to follow a moving signal.
3. Domestic violence doesn't stay between two adults. This started as an ex-boyfriend showing up. It ended with two children duct-taped in a car and their mother in the trunk. If someone in your life is in a dangerous relationship, the children in that home are in danger too. Take it seriously before it escalates.
4. Deputies broke off the close pursuit to protect the children. This is the decision law enforcement has to make in real time — and they made the right one. They stayed on the vehicle from a distance. They were there when he crashed. Know that when there are children in the car, law enforcement is making calculated decisions, not disengaging.
5. If something feels wrong, call someone — right now. The woman in that trunk didn't wait to see how things played out. She called immediately. That call, in the dark, at speed, is the reason her children are home. If you are ever in danger, make noise, make contact, make a record. Do not wait for a better moment. This was the moment.
Report to NCMEC: 1-800-THE-LOST
Do not investigate. Do not confront. Report and document.
"Every Child Is One Of Ours"
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Children too small to fight for
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Endangered runaways reported to NCMEC are likely victims of child sex trafficking
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The most critical window — early reporting dramatically increases recovery chances
Of abducted children who are murdered are killed within the first 3 hours
Of all missing children reported to NCMEC are endangered runaways — most at-risk and vulnerable to trafficking
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The average age a child is first trafficked in the U.S. is between 12 and 14 years old
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A Flock license plate reader flagged a blue Ford F-250 on Highway 16 linked to a missing child case. Senoia Police and Coweta County Sheriff's deputies stopped the truck and found six people — including a child squeezed into the floorboard — crammed into a five-seat vehicle. The missing child was safely recovered. Kayton Elmer and Aja-Linn Eddy, both from Florida, were arrested. Four other juveniles were placed into state protective custody.
A babysitter arrived using a fake name, then left with the child approximately two hours later. West Lafayette Police posted on social media — and a citizen who saw the post recognized the child near Louisville, Kentucky and immediately called police. Officers and the FBI intercepted a bus and found the child safely. Police Chief Adam Ferguson credited the community tip as the turning point. The case remains an active criminal investigation.
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Missing Child Alert is a faith-driven awareness platform built on a simple, unshakeable conviction: no missing child should ever be forgotten, and no family should ever feel like they are searching alone. We are a community of believers and concerned citizens who refuse to look away. This site exists to keep names in front of eyes, stories in front of hearts, and urgency in front of communities across America.
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We believe in the power of prayer — not as a last resort, but as a first response. Prayer moves hearts. It opens doors that logic cannot unlock. It guides the feet of strangers toward answers that investigators sometimes cannot find. We have seen it happen, and we believe it will keep happening.
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