On the night of March 31, 9-year-old Willie Myrick was playing with his pet chihuahua outside his Atlanta home when a man grabbed him and forced him into a car, police said.
“He was cursing at me telling me to shut up and didn't want to hear a word from me," Willie told ABC affiliate WSB-TV. “He said if I told anyone, he would hurt me, like in a bad way.”
But according to a report this week by NBC affiliate WXIA-TV, not remaining silent may have saved Willie's life.
A lover of gospel music, Willie, who just turned 10 this week, reportedly started singing the song "Every Praise" until the man -- who had been driving around for almost three hours -- finally threw him onto the street and drove away.
"Every praise is to our God," the gospel song begins. "Every word of worship with one accord."
Touched by Willie's story, Hezekiah Walker, the songwriter behind "Every Praise," flew to Atlanta this week to meet the young man. Walker told WSB-TV that he believes God spoke through him to "save that boy's life."
"You never know who you're going to touch," the gospel singer said.
According to CBS Atlanta, there's $10,000 reward for the capture of the man who kidnapped Willie. The suspect is described as a black male in his mid- to late-20s. He is said to have been wearing khaki shorts and a white, short-sleeve shirt with a Nike logo at the time of the abduction.