Man wanted for kidnapping 10-year-old girl found dead after SWAT standoff, police say

SUGAR HILL, Ga. - A man who police were attempting to arrest for kidnapping a 10-year-old girl died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an hours-long SWAT standoff in a Gwinnett County neighborhood on Tuesday, the Brookhaven Police Department says.

Evan Michael Sieli, 31, of Sugar Hill, had warrants for kidnapping and aggravated assault with the intent to rape.

Brookhaven Police says it started around 8:30 p.m. Monday when officers received a 911 call from an apartment complex in the 3100 block of Buford Highway about a possible kidnapping. While a woman was talking with officers about her attempted kidnapping, police learned a 10-year-old girl in the same complex was missing.

Officers quickly learned the young girl was abducted by a man driving a black late-model BMW. Investigators were able to use a nearby Flock camera to identify a black BMW registered to Sieli.

State and federal agencies soon joined the investigation.

The girl returned home about 75 minutes after police were first alerted. She was taken to an area hospital as a precaution.

Within another 45 minutes, Gwinnett County Police joined Brookhaven Police to serve a warrant on Sieli’s home located near Sycamore Summit NE.

When it was discovered Sieli was armed with a rifle, the SWAT team was called for backup.

According to investigators, Sieli stepped outside around 4 a.m. and fired shots, leading officers to return fire. At the time, police said the other residents of the home were outside, and no one appeared to have been injured in the gunfire.

Neighbors said they heard several shots.

At around 9:45 a.m., the SWAT team and Georgia State Patrol made entry into the home where Sieli’s body was found. Police said he died after shooting himself.

Neighbors said they were surprised to wake up and find their street a crime scene.

"It's kind of mind-blowing, I've been here since 2009, it's always been pretty quiet. The worse thing that usually happens is deer getting hit by cars. It's kind of shocking really," neighbor Joe Hall said.

A neighbor says their heart goes out to Sieli's wife and kids.

"It’s just the fact that children were involved, that they had to go through that and witness that, and even though he wasn’t a great guy and did some bad things, they did lose a dad today. That’s a lot on them," said McKenzie White.

Police evacuated nearby homes to help keep residents safe. One neighbor said he had family down the street so he moved further away during the standoff.

"We were watching the situation from the window. It was pretty crazy. This guy over here, we've never had issues with him before," said Ammar Finamore. "They seemed like a regular family, regular people, they waved back to us whenever we waved."

The case remains under investigation.