ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A search is underway for a man who carjacked a pregnant woman and drove away with her 1-year-old daughter still in the car Wednesday evening near Apopka, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies said the man carjacked Ferlenciel Dowdell around 6:30 p.m. at East 12th Street and Old Apopka Road.
Investigators said Dowdell chased the car and the man stopped driving shortly thereafter before running away on the West Orange Trail.
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Dowdell told Channel 9's Steve Barrett on Thursday that she was unloading groceries from her car with her daughter sleeping in her car seat when the man stole her car.
"I saw him walk past the car, and I thought he'd gone about his business. I can go ahead and get everything I need out of the car," she said. "He looked directly at me. We locked eyes. I mean I saw him face to face."
Deputies used that eye contact in creating a composite sketch.
"Obviously, we set her up with a sketch artist, and she did a phenomenal job," Orange County Sgt. Joe Covelli said. "We say, 'How accurate is this person to the one you saw?' And she says, 'It's spot on.'"
Dowdell, a law student and vet technician, said she chased her car as the carjacker drove away.
"I didn't know what made him stop and take off, but I'm glad he did, because I wanted my child back," she said. "The car I can replace, but not my child."
Dowdell said she refused to give up on her daughter.
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