An Amber Alert was issued by authorities in Tennessee on June 4 after an armed father took his baby. The alert was canceled later Tuesday after the suspect was captured.
According to @ShelbyTNSheriff, the suspect is now in custody. Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word! #AMBERAlert pic.twitter.com/37H1glpBlk
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) June 4, 2019
Previous story below.
Roscoe Graham, 25, took his 11-month-old daughter Rose Graham, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department.
Rose is “missing and endangered,” the office said.
Graham was described as a black male standing 5’11”, weighing 185 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing denim jeans, white T-shirt, and a blue and white baseball hat.
MORE #AMBERAlert DETAILS: Rose is an 11-month-old black female with black hair, brown eyes, 3’0″ tall, and 22 pounds. Rose was last seen wearing a blue onesie.
Roscoe Graham, a 25-year-old black male with black hair, brown eyes, 5’11” tall, and 185 lbs.https://t.co/GSnNBIW7SO
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) June 4, 2019
He was armed with a handgun, authorities said.
Rose was described as a black female weighing around 22 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a navy blue onesie.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Graham was “reported to be on foot, suicidal, and in possession of a weapon.”
The father and daughter were last seen in the 7500 block of Lowrance Road in Memphis.
Authorities provide an update on the Amber Alert issued for 11 month-old Rose Graham. She was taken from the 7500 block of Lowrance Road by her father, Roscoe Graham. https://t.co/q8jF4yAQpl pic.twitter.com/mOMALRQTvt
— WREG News Channel 3 (@3onyourside) June 4, 2019
“We believe that baby Rose is in danger,” a spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department told reporters early Tuesday, reported WREG.
“We have information from the grandmother that suggests that she hasn’t had a meal since 7 p.m. last evening. We are in a desperate search for this baby.”
Anyone with information was asked to call 911, contact the bureau at 1-800-TBI-FIND, or call detective William Dotson at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department at 901-379-7625.
Call 911 immediately if you see baby Rose or Roscoe Graham. https://t.co/asPSCKTiCT
— ShelbyTNSheriff (@ShelbyTNSheriff) June 4, 2019
Parental Kidnapping
According to the Polly Klaas Foundation, approximately 200,000 children are kidnapped each year by a family member.
Child custody experts say that people kidnap their own children to force a reconciliation or continued interaction with the other, left-behind parent; to spite or punish the other parent; from fear of losing custody or visitation rights.
In rare cases, the kidnapping may occur to protect a child from a parent who is believed to be abusing the child.
Common warnings signs include the other parent threatening abduction, suspected abuse, or paranoid delusion.
Overall, the number of reported missing children significantly decreased in recent years, according to a report by the Department of Justice (pdf) in 2017. Reported missing children dropped from 6.5 per 1,000 children in 1999 to 3.1 per 1,000 in 2013.
Missing children typically fall into five categories: kidnapped by a family member, abducted by a nonfamily perpetrator, runaways, those who got lost, stranded, or injured, or those who went missing due to benign reasons, such as misunderstandings, according to the report.
Department of Justice researchers said in a separate report (pdf) published in 2016 that there were an estimated 105 children nationwide that were victims of stereotypical kidnappings, a number that was virtually the same as 1997.
“Most kidnappings involved the use of force or threats, and about three in five victims were sexually assaulted, abused, or exploited, the researchers said. Stereotypical kidnappings are defined as abductions in which a slight acquaintance or stranger moves a child at least 20 feet or holds the child at least 1 hour. Most victims were girls aged 12 to 17 and most perpetrators were men aged 18 to 35.
