Cops used cell records to link dad to missing girl

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Investigators have linked a Bakersfield father to the disappearance of his 8-year-old daughter after tracing his cell phone to the same area where the girl was found, Kern County officials said Friday.

The man, 29, was arrested Thursday after a seven-hour standoff with authorities, who responded to reports that he was suicidal and armed. He was booked on charges of kidnapping with the act of rape, kidnapping with intent to commit rape, sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and attempted murder, said Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood.

The girl's disappearance prompted a citywide search Thursday. The girl's stepmother, who put the girl to bed around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, reported her missing at about 4 a.m. the next morning when she found a teddy bear under her blankets instead of the child, Youngblood said.

The father claimed he was at work when the stepmother called him to report his daughter was missing, he said.

A passerby found her six hours later walking alone in her pajamas, about nine miles from home. The child had a black eye, bruises and other serious injuries, Youngblood said.

Investigators used the stepmother's phone call to trace the man's cell phone to the same area where his daughter was found.

"We're absolutely convinced that we have the right person," Youngblood said.

The father is being held on $1 million bail. No court date has been set for him yet.

The girl is being cared for at a hospital.

The Associated Press previously identified both the girl and her father, but has withdrawn their names because police are now saying she is the victim of a sexual assault.