MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The man arrested in connection to a string of rapes and abductions involving children in South Memphis has been identified.
Laderio Gordon, 29, is charged with Especially Aggravated Kidnapping, Rape of a Child and Employing a Firearm with the Intention to Commit a Felony. Police records list his address on Cleaborn in South Memphis.
Gordon is currently charged in one incident, but Memphis Police say they have linked him to multiple cases and additional charges would be forthcoming.
“He was positively identified as a suspect in the recent abductions and rapes involving children in the South Memphis community,” police said in a press release Friday.
According to police reports, on April 13, Memphis Police responded to a kidnapping. A 12-year-old girl was walking to school in the area of Ethlyn and Silver when Gordon approached her in a black Ford Escape. He allegedly ordered her into the car at gunpoint.
As he drove away, he told her to turn her phone off, police say. Gordon reportedly put on a condom and forced the juvenile to perform oral sex on him. Afterward, he threw the condom out of the window.
MPD says Gordon asked the young girl if she wanted any money; she said no. He returned her to the same location where she was abducted.
The victim told police what happened and described Gordon. She also detailed that there was a car seat in the back of the vehicle.
Gordon was taken into custody, where he admitted to the crime. He told officers that he was driving his girlfriend’s vehicle.
Memphis Police announced Thursday that they arrested the suspect around 5:15 p.m. They said they will work closely with the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office to ensure successful prosecution in the case.
Parents and neighbors have been on edge for days as reports grew about a man in a dark SUV who was targeting young females around South Memphis.
The mother of a different girl who was abducted was overjoyed to find out a suspect was arrested, but her family still has to deal with the trauma.
“It was something he was dealing with that made his car mess up. That’s when she was able to get away,” her mother said. “She’s been having a difficult time, but she’s alright.”
Laderio Gordon is set to appear in court Monday, May 1. No bond has been set.
WREG looked through Gordon’s criminal record in Shelby County and it shows that in both 2017 and 2023 he was charged with assault. Earlier this year, the 29-year-old allegedly beat up his pregnant ex-girlfriend and strangled her, causing her to lose consciousness twice.
Ultimately, those charges were dropped – but he could soon could be facing additional charges for this latest crime spree.
