Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Many people on social media are questioning why a sketch released of a person of interest in the kidnapping of a South Carolina girl looked nothing like the actual suspect who was later arrested.
Police say 37-year-old Thomas Evans took 4-year-old Heidi Todd from her home near Charleston after assaulting the little girl's mother.
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In the hours before he was caught Wednesday, the Charleston Police Department released a photo of the "person of interest."
Police originally said it showed a Hispanic male with a flame tattoo on his left cheek and a lightning bolt tattoo on his right cheek.
Here's what may have led to some confusion. Initially, it was thought the description came from what the mother told authorities. That was perhaps based off a misunderstanding of what law enforcement was saying at the time, and then quickly spread across social media.
After Evan's arrest, police clarified the sketch was largely based off a description that a neighbor--not the mother--gave police of someone seen in the area days prior to the incident happening.
It's important to point out that authorities at the time did not say whether they believed the person of interest and the person who attacked the mom might be the same man.
To be clear, the person who that sketch was based on is no longer a person of interest, and is not believed to be a danger to the community.
The real suspect, Evans, who was found with Todd in a wooded area in Riverside, Alabama. It turns out he is a convicted felon who was released from a South Carolina prison less than two weeks before the abduction.
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As of now, authorities are unsure as to what was Evans motive and why he specifically targeted the Todd family.
