Man mistook girl for daughter in Vancouver ‘child abduction case’, court document says

The man who was arrested by police because he believed He tried to kidnap an 11-year-old girl in a Vancouver park According to court documents, he mistakenly thought the girl was his own daughter over the weekend.

Police arrested Michael McGlothlin on Tuesday after officers responded to a call about an attempted kidnapping at Lieser Crest Park on Virginia Lane on Sunday afternoon.

According to police, a woman nearby intervened and the man fled in a 2024 Grand Cherokee.

Using surveillance video, officers determined who the man was and arrested McGlothlin at an intersection near Northeast 18th Street and 148th Avenue.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the girl reported that a man she did not know tried to grab her from behind while she was playing alone on the swing at the park. She said the man yelled something like, “You're my daughter.”

The girl screamed and then ran towards the woman who intervenedThe woman said she yelled at the man and saw him jump into the Cherokee and drive away, the court document said.

According to the court document, McGlothlin told police he moved to Vancouver in June to be closer to his 13-year-old daughter, but has not seen her since 2023.

Court documents state he has sole custody of his daughter. McGlothlin said he knew she lived with a woman near the park and when he went there, he saw a girl whose description matched his own daughter and thought it was her.

McGlothlin told police he tried to hug the girl, but she screamed and ran away.

He told police that the woman the girl ran toward was the woman his daughter lived with.

When he arrived at the park, McGlothlin said he saw the woman outside her house. He told police he didn't have a good relationship with her and she was angry with him for trying to contact his daughter, so he hid behind a tree so she couldn't see him.

According to court records, the woman only saw McGlothlin as he got into the vehicle.

“Based on his and [the girl’s] “If, based on the description of events, Michael's intent was to kidnap a child, then he would obviously have had the intent to kidnap his own daughter – which is not a crime,” police said in the probable cause affidavit.

But police said McGlothlin held the girl and “whether it was a hug or a grab, it was completely unwanted by the victim and caused significant distress.”

Therefore, the police arrested him for false imprisonment and fourth-degree assault, but not for attempted kidnapping.

McGlothlin appeared in Clark County court on Wednesday. The judge set his bail at $20,000, ordered GPS monitoring and ordered him to stay away from his daughter and the other girl.

McGlothlin's next court date is scheduled for September 4 at 9 a.m.