Michigan man faces U.S. federal charges after plotting to kidnap 4-year-old Windsor, Ont. boy: police

Warning: This article contains details some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.

A Wayne County, Mich., man is accused of sexually assaulting a four-year-old Windsor, Ont., boy and violently attacking his mother. He is now facing additional charges in the U.S., after investigators uncovered evidence of a kidnapping plot.

Windsor police reported the incident back in June, but new details have been released in unsealed documents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The accused, 46-year-old Shahzad Hameedi, also known as Sheraz Hameed, was arrested in Royal Oak, Mich., in late June. Police allege he used multiple aliases and online dating platforms to target women, including the Windsor mother whose family became the focus of a chilling investigation.

In a news conference Friday at Windsor police headquarters, Staff Sgt. Dave Tennent said the case began with a break-in at the woman’s home on June 14, followed by a violent home invasion on June 22. During the second incident, a masked intruder allegedly choked the mother before fleeing, leaving behind a taser.

Three days later, on June 25, her four-year-old son was reportedly sexually assaulted during an unsupervised visit to the suspect’s home.

“The family friend returned the little boy to the residence after about an hour, and the little boy had injuries,” Tennent said.

At the time, the mother considered him a trusted acquaintance she had met online, and police had not yet connected him to the earlier break-ins at her home. U.S. prosecutors allege that when she later restricted his access to her son, Hameedi hatched a plan to kidnap the boy.

By the time police identified Hameedi as the suspect, he had already fled across the border. U.S. Marshals arrested him days later in Royal Oak.

A search of his property uncovered a laminated ransom note and an array of items prosecutors say were part of a kidnapping plan: A stun gun, zip ties, duct tape, rubber gloves, strong medication with a funnel, and a toddler life vest.

“The defendant’s alleged plan to kidnap a young child by sneaking across the border and entering Canada, breaking into a mother’s home at night, strangling her, and then assaulting her innocent, young child two days later is diabolical,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in a statement.

Hameedi is now charged in the U.S. with attempted kidnapping of a minor child, carrying a possible sentence of 20 years or more. He also remains wanted in Windsor on nine counts, including aggravated sexual assault, sexual interference, and assault causing bodily harm.

Authorities describe Hameedi as a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Pakistan. They say he maintained multiple identities in both countries, using false names to meet women online — raising concerns there may be additional victims.

“If anybody out there recognizes this individual, please contact us and we will initiate an investigation,” said Tennent, adding he has not seen a case like this in his 31-year career.

“This investigation has really touched us, especially when you have a child victim of this age.”

Hameedi remains in U.S. custody. His prosecution there will proceed first, while Canadian authorities wait to see if he will eventually face trial here as well.

None of the charges have been tested in court.