Kidnapped toddler found safe in Mississippi — more than 200 miles from home, cops say
A 3-year-old Alabama girl who was forcibly kidnapped from her Birmingham home Thursday afternoon has been found safe in Mississippi, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as the girl’s uncle, was arrested and could face kidnapping charges, according to the Birmingham Police Department.
Officers responded to reports of a kidnapping just after 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, police spokesman Truman Fitzgerald said at a news conference. The caller, who used a language interpreter line, told dispatchers that a 3-year-old had been taken by her uncle.
The man reportedly fled in his car and took the young girl with him.
In their initial investigation, authorities said family members believed the girl’s uncle planned to take her out of the country to Mexico, where her father lives, and that the kidnapping stemmed from an ongoing domestic dispute between the toddler’s parents, WIAT reported.
Fitzgerald recalled the “sheer panic” in the mother’s face while her child was still missing.
“This was dangerous from the beginning,” he said. “Anytime you have a child that’s been abducted, it’s extremely serious. So we are just so thankful that we were able to resolve this incident and bring that child home.”
Fitzgerald also credited a Spanish-speaking officer with being “on the scene immediately” and gathering essential information that aided authorities in their investigation.
Both the child and her uncle were found about 230 miles away in Pearl, Mississippi, hours later, police said. The uncle, who wasn’t publicly named, was arrested at the scene.
Authorities said the incident is still being investigated and will be presented to the Jefferson County’s District Attorney’s Office.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Kidnapped toddler found safe in Mississippi — more than 200 miles from home, cops say."