FOREST HILL, Texas — Updated at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday with a statement from WoodSpring Suites.
Editor's note: Due to the nature of this crime and the fact that the victim is a minor, WFAA will no longer show Salem Sabatka’s picture.
Police searched Michael Webb's hotel room two hours before a kidnapped 8-year-old girl was found inside.
Forest Hill police officers received a tip that Webb had been seen with Salem Sabatka. They talked to Webb around midnight at the WoodSpring Suites on East California Parkway, officials said.
Forest Hill police revealed they talked to Webb and looked around his room but didn't find the child or the car.
"Upon entry into the room, the officers made visual inspection of the areas of the room that appeared to be large enough to conceal the missing child," according to a written statement.
Around 2 a.m. Sunday, officers went back to the scene after receiving another tip. Fort Worth police responded to the scene, where officers found Webb with the girl.
Forest Hill police officials planned to host a news conference Tuesday afternoon but canceled shortly before, citing the "ongoing criminal investigation."
"Our legal department has advised that we make no further releases in an effort to ensure that we don’t jeopardize the ongoing criminal investigation and any subsequent prosecution," Forest Hill police officials said in a written statement.
Fort Worth police told WFAA on Monday that the kidnapping appears to have been random.
"At this point in time, it may have seemed like it was just a random deal," Officer Buddy Calzada said. "He just decided to take this child at this given moment."
Police said she was snatched off the street as she walked with her mom in their Fort Worth neighborhood.
Webb was transferred to FBI custody around 8 a.m. Tuesday from the Tarrant County jail and is charged with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony.
WoodSpring Suites released a statement Tuesday about the kidnapping, saying,
"We are so relieved Salem was safely reunited with her mother. We enthusiastically gave our support and resources to the police in helping apprehend the person who took her and will continue to help in any way we can."
