May 27, 2020
By News Director Jared Atha
A Michigan couple accused of attempting to abduct an Elk City girl have been formally charged in Beckham County District Court.
According to court records, 40-year-old Wayne Eugene Allen and 39-year-old Marguerite Marie Smith, both of Allegan, Michigan, were both charged with one count each of conspiracy and kidnapping of a child last week after being found with a missing 14-year-old girl at a truck stop on Interstate 40 near Sayre on May 12.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the suspects were in contact with the girl through social media, and had arranged with the child to pick her up early in the morning of the day of the incident. During an interview with authorities, Allen allegedly confessed that it was his and Smith’s intention of taking the girl to Michigan. The document stated that the couple had bought hair dye to help conceal the girl’s identity.
Authorities were quick to find the missing child after her 6-year-old sister had dialed 911 on the morning of her disappearance, and told dispatch that her sister, who was suppose to be babysitting her, was not home. Thanks to quick detective work by the Beckham County Sheriff’s Department, they determined that the suspect was in a semi-truck owned by a Mississippi trucking company. A deputy was able to make contact with the company and locate the truck with the help of a GPS device. Both Allen and Smith were quickly arrested, and the girl was located – unharmed.
Allen and Smith are due in a Beckham County courtroom on June 6.
