Kansas Trooper Rescues 6-Year-Old Kidnapped Girl & Arrests 2 Men During Traffic Stop

In a statement shared to Facebook on Saturday, the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) reported that one of its troopers had rescued a kidnapped 6-year-old girl at a traffic stop.

According to KHP, the trooper -- who is with its criminal interdiction unit -- stopped an SUV for a traffic violation, and found two men in their 60s and a little girl in the car, with the KHP officer learning that the driver had a "criminal history" and the passenger had a warrant out for his arrest for kidnapping a 6-year-old girl.

"During the traffic stop, it was discovered that the front seat passenger had a warrant for his arrest from another state for kidnapping a 6-year-old girl just over a month prior," the statement read. "The trooper had observed a girl about that age in the vehicle with the two adult male occupants, both of whom were in their 60's. The driver had a criminal history to include homicide and numerous weapons violations over the years."

KHP said the trooper and a local sheriff's deputy "quickly secured both the driver and the passenger," before the trooper "safely removed the little girl from the vehicle."

The post said the girl "gave the trooper a false name and date of birth, after having been coached to do so, in an attempt to keep the adult out of jail."

After the KHP trooper "calmed the girl down," she gave him her real name.

"She was the kidnapping victim, who had been with this suspect for over a month on the run," KHP said in its statement. "Thankfully the girl was unharmed, and the men were taken into custody."

The Facebook post also included two photos of the SUV in what appeared to be the traffic stop on the side of the highway. One shot featured a man with his hands up in the air as he stood on the side of the road, while the second image showed a little girl talking to another man.

KHP later updated its post by expressing its gratitude for the support it received following the rescue.

"Thank you for the outpouring of support for the Kansas Highway Patrol and for the trooper involved. This is an incredible story that highlights the unpredictable nature of a trooper’s job and the real impact they can have on people's lives," it wrote.

KHP said it won't be sharing more details regarding the traffic stop -- including the identities -- despite receiving "many requests."

"Unfortunately, we are unable to release any further details of this incident so that we can continue to protect the identity of the child and integrity of open cases," the statement read.  "We appreciate your understanding as we continue our investigation."

KHP did not reveal when the traffic stop and rescue occurred. However, local CBS affiliate KCTV reported, citing KHP, that the arrests happened in February.