Neighbor of man who allegedly abducted son says she’s glad Amber Alert ended safely
By Marcus McIntosh
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JEFFERSON, Iowa (KCCI) — A Jefferson woman who lives near the man who allegedly kidnapped his 7-year-old son Tuesday said she’s never known him to bother anyone in the neighborhood.
Jeannie McDowell recalls receiving the Amber Alert Tuesday afternoon, triggered by authorities after 34-year-old Brandon Duong removed his son from Greene County Elementary in Jefferson without permission.
McDowell said it took a few minutes for her to realize the suspect, who does not have custodial rights to the boy, was her neighbor.
“He never bothers anybody,” she said before noting how thankful she was that the boy wasn’t injured in the abduction or standoff hours later in Plymouth County.
The Amber Alert hit home for McDowell for more than one reason.
“My nephew was Eugene Martin. He was a paperboy that disappeared two years after Johnny Gosch, “McDowell said.
Martin was 13 when he disappeared on Aug. 12, 1984, in Des Moines while delivering newspapers. He has never been found.
Amber Alerts have come a long way from pictures on milk cartons to a state and nationwide alert system. A system that paid off Tuesday.
In December, a court order was issued temporarily removing custody from Duong.
In 2019, he pleaded guilty to a charge relating to a violent bar fight, and in 2021, his ex-wife filed a protective order on the grounds of domestic abuse.
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