Overview
- Albert Lea officers stopped a white Dodge Ram on Interstate 35 shortly before 1 a.m., finding Brynlee Nelson safe and arresting 28-year-old Joseph Andrew Bragg of Maple Grove without incident.
- Investigators treated the case as a stranger abduction and say a social media connection is part of the active inquiry.
- Authorities first issued a localized public alert, then delayed a wider AMBER Alert until officers were in position to apprehend the suspect.
- Sherburne County officials said Brynlee was last seen after getting off her school bus around 4 p.m. Wednesday and was reported missing at 6:31 p.m.
- Roughly 200 law enforcement and fire personnel and about 700 volunteers joined the search, as prosecutors review evidence and consider charges; the BCA says the suspect has no significant criminal history.