Missing Kitsap, WA woman rescued, allegedly kidnapped by sex offender

Man arrested for luring woman with autism in Kitsap County

A Kitsap County woman with autism was found after being reported missing, allegedly lured by a convicted sex offender she'd met online.

KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. - The search for a missing Kitsap County woman is over. Investigators said she has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old and was with a convicted sex offender she'd met online.

There was an overwhelming feeling of relief as officials said the woman would be headed home safe after the kidnapping investigation.

Kitsap County Sheriff's investigators were extremely concerned and said the 21-year-old woman, Hannah Davis, was in danger. Now, the convicted sex offender they said she was with is in police custody.

The backstory:

"She is considered to be in danger," KCSO Spokesperson Kevin McCarty said.

It was a search with no time to waste — Davis' family told us they were too distraught to talk about it.

After more than a day of searching, Kitsap County Sheriff's deputies said Davis is safe and headed home after vanishing between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"This is a woman on the autism spectrum," said McCarty. "She has a very difficult time locating her own home. She doesn't know her own address."

They told us she was with Leroy Nickols, 21, a registered sex offender convicted of second-degree rape in 2022. The victim in that case was a 15-year-old girl, according to the registry.

Now, he's in police custody.

WA sex offender back in custody

What they're saying:

"He's been in communication with her online. It seems for some time. At least about a month or so. And has actually made an attempt to meet with her before," McCarty said.

Nickols is described by sheriff's officials as transient in Thurston and Lewis counties. His last known residence was listed as a shelter in Olympia.

Officials said Olympia police arrested him Monday afternoon.

"We don't know how he got to where she is, or how she got to where he is. It's really unclear," McCarty said.

Kitsap investigators told FOX 13 Seattle he met Davis one time prior to this disappearance, riding a bus to the nearby Kitsap Mall, when she'd been taken there by a family member.

Now, after more than a day of searching, investigators said they can reunite her with her loved ones, and they can all breathe a sigh of relief.

"The danger, really, is that she's very vulnerable. She's very impressionable, and she really can't fend for herself if she's out in public," McCarty said.

Deputies were scouring the area to find the pair.

We are working to learn more information about the next steps in the investigation, including any specific charges Nickols may face.

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