Man indicted after missing 6-year-old girl found chained to a tree

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Crime tile

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - A convicted sex offender accused of abducting a 6-year-old North Carolina girl who was found chained to a tree has been indicted on numerous charges.

The StarNews of Wilmington reports 46-year-old Douglas Edwards was indicted Tuesday by a New Hanover County grand jury on charges including attempted first-degree murder and statutory rape of a child.

New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon says Edwards was riding a moped Sept. 14 when he snatched the first-grader from her driveway.

Investigators found the girl the next day, tethered to a tree in mosquito-infested woods.

Edwards, who was released from prison in 2012 after serving 16 years for a 1994 sexual assault of another 6-year-old girl, is being held in lieu of a $9 million bail.

It's unclear whether he has an attorney.

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