Edward Ahrens: Tennessee man suspected of kidnapping 11-year-old girl shot dead after trying to run over deputies

TENNESSEE: Edward Ahrens, 38, was shot and killed by deputies from Knox and Catoosa counties. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation stated that he was the suspect in the kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl close to the Georgia-Tennessee border.

Aubriauna Mays, the kidnapped girl, was discovered in Hamilton County early on Friday, February 2, morning after going missing on Tuesday, January 30.

Edward Ahrens found guilty of nine cases of child exploitation

Authorities from Tennessee, Georgia, and the Knox County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) collaborated after an 11-year-old, Aubriauna Mays vanished. Detectives pursued Ahrens in Hamilton County, close to Chattanooga, after their investigation led them there.

According to WDEF, he was shot by police. It was confirmed late on Friday morning that the suspect who was shot by the police, Edward Ahrens, was a native of Catoosa County, Georgia.

Additional disclosures suggested that he had a criminal past. A few years ago, he was found guilty on nine counts of child exploitation and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Authorities said that Ahrens ran over three Knox County deputies prior to the deadly altercation. It has been confirmed by the Knox County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) that Aubriauna Mays has been found safe and alive.

According to a release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), early on February 2, Edward Ahrens, 38, was driving south on Interstate 75 towards Georgia with an 11-year-old girl from Knox County.

Law enforcement from Knox County and Catoosa County, Georgia, followed Ahrens, the target of a multi-agency pursuit, as he left in East Ridge, according to WTVC.

Detectives found Aubriauna Mays near Hamilton County

Aubriauna Mays, age 11, was the focus of an Endangered Child Alert that the TBI had released on Thursday night, January 31. January 30 was when we last saw her.

Detectives from the Knox County Sheriff's Office followed leads late on Thursday night to locate Ahrens and Mays near the Hamilton County state line between Georgia and Tennessee.

On February 2, shortly after one in the morning, detectives found Mays and the suspect with help from the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.

The chase came to an end close to the East Ridge exit on I-75 South, according to scanner traffic that Broadcastify provided.

Just after 1:30 a.m. on Friday, law enforcement surrounded Edward Ahrens at the intersection of Highway 41 and Ringgold Road after pursuing the pursuit onto the exit ramp, as  reported by WATE.

The TBI announced on social media at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday that Aubriauna Mays had been located safely in Hamilton County, close to the Georgia state line.

Edward Ahrens given 40-year sentence for past crimes

The Georgia Sex Offender Registry website contains Edward Ahrens's disturbing past. His hometown is Ringgold, Georgia. In 2012, he was listed as a s*xual offender.

According to Ahrens's record, he was found guilty in 2008 of nine counts of abusing a minor for sexual purposes in Catoosa County.

According to WDEF, the charges stemmed from the possession of child pornography that showed a minor having s*x.

Ahrens was given a 40-year sentence for these offenses, but the Georgia Department of Corrections reports that he was freed after just 10 years. He was placed on probation when he was released.

This involved creating a monitored computer usage policy, limiting contact with minors, and registering on the Georgia Sex Offender Registry. 

Edward Ahrens's criminal record goes even farther back, as he admitted guilt in 2003 to four counts of aggravated assault against Catoosa County police officers.

The indictment describes physical assaults and knife-wielding threats against two different police officers. Ahrens served just a little more than a year even though he was given a 10-year sentence.