Washington man in white van allegedly stalks trick-or-treating children, grabs little girl who kicked him in groin. Police hunt continues

A Halloween outing in southwest Washington state reportedly took a frightening turn when a young girl was grabbed by a stranger while trick-or-treating. Police are also looking into reports of a white van following groups of children in the area that night.

The incident happened on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in a residential part of Kelso. According to People, the Kelso Police Department said the girl was walking along the street when an unidentified man approached her and grabbed her by the arm.

She fought back and pulled herself free. The girl then ran away and reached safety. Police have not released her name or age. Officers were first called to the 700 block of Laurel Street at around 7 p.m. 

Police haven’t released many details about his appearance

While they were responding, another resident contacted emergency dispatchers with a separate concern. The caller said a white van was moving slowly through the neighborhood and appeared to be following groups of children collecting candy.

Police searched the area for the man and the van. Neither was found. Officers also spoke with people living nearby to find out whether any home security cameras or doorbell footage might have captured something useful. That effort did not turn up any video of the encounter.

The girl described her attacker as a man wearing a black hoodie and dark denim jeans. Police have not released further details about his appearance. The investigation soon drew the attention of police in neighboring Longview. The Longview Police Department said it had received a similar report about a suspicious white van behaving erratically around children who were trick-or-treating on Halloween.

There’s been little progress

It is unclear whether the two reports involved the same white van. However, the proximity of the two cities has led investigators to consider the possibility that the van travelled between them that evening.

There has been little progress in identifying the man who grabbed the girl. On Tuesday, November 3, Kelso Police Department Captain Mark Berglund told local media that the investigation had been moved to inactive status because detectives had no viable leads.

That does not mean police have stopped seeking information. Investigators are asking anyone who was near Laurel Street on Halloween evening to come forward, particularly if they saw a white van or a man matching the girl’s description. Anyone with information can contact the Kelso Police Department at (360) 423-1270.