Have you ever had that gut-wrenching feeling of emptiness after having a close family or friend go missing?
Hopefully not. However, you can’t help but sympathize with those who endure this pain every time your smartphone receives an Amber Alert notification. A recent incident about 20 miles southeast of Lafayette has garnered a buzz since it involved an incredible rescue involving two unlikely heroes.
A 10-year old girl from New Iberia, Louisiana who was horrendously abducted over the weekend was luckily rescued thanks to the brave work of two sanitation workers. Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine, who both work for Pelican Waste & Debris, began their daily weekly routine Monday morning when out of nowhere they spotted a silver Nissan stationary in the center of a field in St. Martin Parish.
The description of the vehicle matched the description from the Amber Alert and was soon recognized by Merrick.
“I told the guy who rides with me, that’s the car. I pulled forward and backed up to block the entrance (to the field) and then called 911,” Merrick said during a phone interview.
As tensions started to rise, the driver of the suspected vehicle opened the door and Antoine immediately noted his appearance matched that of the Amber Alert along with his vehicle.
It was no coincidence that they were looking straight at the abductor!
In a blink of an eye, the two sanitation workers were connected to a 911 dispatcher and relayed all the information they’ve gathered so far. Police quickly arrived at the scene in less than 60 seconds.
Merrick exhibited the incident of when the deputies arrived at the location via Facebook Live video that has since gone viral with over 2 million views to date. You can hear the suspect, who police identified as Michael Sereal, yell, “Why are you doing this to me?”
The kidnapper was then taken to New Iberia and charged with aggravated kidnapping and failure to register as a sex offender, in reference to previous jail records. As of now, he has been listed on the New Iberia sex offender database for a conviction on carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
To make matters even more peculiar, it turns out Sereal is an acquaintance of the girl’s family, which would explain some of the motives behind his actions. Fortunately, the young girl was freed from her nightmare and reunited peacefully with her family.
This was all thanks to the brave efforts of the two sanitation workers who went out of their way to make sure justice was served.
Merrick, a father and ex-U.S. Navy, began working for Pelican Waste in a short span of fewer than 3 months ago before the incident occurred. He mentioned he didn’t hesitate as soon as his suspicions began to grow about coming to the young girl’s aid.
“I didn’t want anything to happen to her,” said Merrick. “We’re all from the same town. We’re a big community, it might be a small town, but we’re a close-knit community so I had to do what I had to do for my community.”
The two heroes even received high praise from their company for their courageous deed.
“At Pelican Waste we strive for a family atmosphere and try to emanate that to our workers. We are super proud of the genuine efforts by these valued employees now and always,” a spokesperson for the company said. “This was an exceptional thing that may very well have saved a little girl’s life.”
Nothing can prepare you for getting blindsided by a kidnapping. It’s best to keep calm, stay resourceful, and garner as much help from local sources as much as possible to combat this horrific experience.
Thanks to these two sanitation workers, evil has been put behind bars and the young girl who suffered this tumultuous experience can begin to recover from this horrific trauma.
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