OREGON CITY, Ore. — The Clackamas County man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old girl from Edmonton, Canada made his first appearance in court on Tuesday. Noah Madrano, 40, faces kidnapping, sex abuse and rape charges in Oregon. He's also facing charges in Canada.
Authorities said Madrano met the 13-year-old victim on social media, leading to her disappearance more than 10 days ago. She was found with Madrano on July 2 in Oregon City and authorities said the arrest was made following a request from the FBI.
Nicole Lampa is a CTV reporter out of Edmonton who's been covering the story.
"The girl went missing on June 24," Lampa said. "She was actually reported missing after she went to school but she did not go to class."
Lampa said flyers went up in Edmonton around the area the girl went to school. Hundreds of people canvassed neighborhoods and there was a lot of community effort that went into finding the girl.
"Edmonton Police did say they believe Madrano made his way here to Edmonton and a few days after the young girl went missing, he was then seen in Mission, British Columbia for a few days," Lampa said. "A few days after, that's when the FBI, Oregon City Police and Edmonton Police tracked the both of them in Oregon City."
The manager of Portland-based radio station KBOO said there was a man by the name of Noah Madrano that previously volunteered there. Volunteers usually produce their own segments, and the manager said that Madrano was let go after a segment aired containing sexually explicit content.
Global News spoke to the victim's father in a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon.
"As a parent, you always see the baby in your child ... she really needs her family right now," the victim's father said.
"I think it's important that parents certainly do not let their guard down with internet use, and always watch their children," he continued. "This was something that was unexpected to us, and we had all of the parental control imaginable around [her]. They will find access somehow and there's predators out there waiting for our children."
Below is a statement released by the Madrano family following Noah's arrest:
"No words of ours will ease the trauma that the young victim and the victim's family have endured. If such words existed, we would offer them with all the sorrow and anguish that fills our hearts. Our greatest hope is that this young person and their family are able to heal, through a combination of time, support, and love.
"We love Noah unconditionally, which includes loving him even through the most unthinkable of acts. Our love does not mean that we condone, excuse, or minimize these acts — vehemently, we do not. There is no excuse for harming a child. We ask for our privacy to be respected so that we may begin to process these events."
Madrano's bail was set at $500,000 and his next court date is July 12.