Overview
- Police arrested Johntay Burgess after the July 30 attempted kidnapping outside the Dollar Tree at Montgomery Plaza and a Tarrant County grand jury has since indicted him in at least one case.
- The 63-year-old victim, Eloise Montanez, told family she was grabbed from behind, had her face covered and was nearly carried off before her husband arrived and the attacker fled.
- Investigators say Burgess is linked to at least two incidents on consecutive days near Fort Worth’s Cultural District, including an attempted abduction outside Salsa Limón on July 29, and he may be connected to an earlier July 10 case.
- Court records and police statements show Burgess faces attempted kidnapping charges plus counts of indecent exposure and assaulting an officer, and he is being held at the Tarrant County Jail while the Major Case Unit continues its probe.
- Montanez’s family has called for accountability and Fort Worth police are asking the public for tips as they determine whether more victims or charges will emerge and patrols and community concern have increased near the affected businesses.