14-year-old Elizabeth Rex first went missing on Monday from her home in Magnolia, Texas.
Her parents say the girl went outside to check the mail and never came back in.
Cops believe that’s when Randy Johnson grabbed the teenager, who suffers from Autism and Downs Syndrome.
"So once we decided what the codes were, it was like 'You have to go. You can't be here,'" Jennifer Black continued.
My Fox Houston reports Johnson lived with the family for a time but Elizabeth's father kicked him out after he became suspicious of their relationship. "We were literally listening to every conversation, and it was in code," Elizabeth's mother, told KHOU.
As the family searched Elizabeth's room they found a phone number. They called it and to their relief, she answered.
But Johnson snatched the phone away and said, "you'll never see Lizzy again." Black says Johnson continued to mock the family. "I've got her and where we are going, you can't get across the checkpoint because you don't have an ID. Come get me."