An Amber Alert for a Tennessee toddler was canceled on May 24 after the kidnapping suspect was captured and the young girl was found safe.
Octavia Shaw, about 2 years old, was taken by Matias Martinez, 37, authorities said.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said deputies pulled over a vehicle on Thursday that contained a woman, Martinez, and the woman’s granddaughter.
“At the time of the stop, due to the heat, deputies asked the male subject to stand by near the roadway in the shade with the infant while they detained the female for questioning after finding out she had open, active warrants. During the course of the questioning, it became apparent to the deputies that the male individual had left the scene with the child. Deputies immediately began to search the area for the individual to no avail,” the office said.
An Amber Alert was soon issued as a widespread search ensued.
Hamilton County Chief Deputy of Law Enforcement Mark King told WRCB that someone spotted the man and child in Hixson on Friday morning and tipped off the authorities, who quickly converged on the scene.
According to WREG, a warrant was issued for Martinez on kidnapping and other charges.
Octavia was checked by medical personnel. They said she was fine despite being outside all night. She was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
King was taken to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to be interrogated.
#AMBERAlert NEWS ALERT: A tipster spotted Matias Martinez and Octavia Shaw in the area where they disappeared last night and called authorities.
We’re pleased to report she’s been safely recovered and he’s in custody!
Thank you for helping us to spread the word! pic.twitter.com/lOhW3LG22e
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) May 24, 2019
Suspect Arrested, Teen Found
A second Amber Alert case was resolved this week in Arizona.
Authorities said that Miguel Rodriguez-Perez, 18, kidnapped a 17-year-old girl at a parking lot in Wendy’s in Idaho.
“She was at work, and apparently had taken a break and never returned,” said Dan Hall, chief of Police in Jerome, Idaho, reported Fox 10. “It was basically considered a runaway type incident. After looking into it more, our detectives found surveillance of the area, which led them to believe she was in the company of Miguel Perez.”
The suspect’s phone pinged in Kingman on Monday, a day after the reported abduction, and officials soon found Rodriguez-Perez early Tuesday after he fled from police.
AMBER Alert case: $1m bond set for man accused of abducting Wendy’s worker. @Fox10_NicoleG has the details. https://t.co/6nlV1sIv3D
— FOX 10 Phoenix (@FOX10Phoenix) May 22, 2019
The girl was safe.
Questioned why police didn’t pursue the suspect after he fled from officers, Lt. Amy Sloane of Wickenburg police told 3 TV: “It would take just a blink of an eye for things to go bad really, really fast, as well as the other motorists on the road and the officers themselves. It’s a delicate balance wanting to get that vehicle stopped, but doing it in a safe manner.”
Officers found the pair hours later.
There was a history of domestic violence between the couple, naming Rodriguez-Perez as the girl’s ex-boyfriend. He was booked on a felony warrant and was being held on a $1 million bond, reported Fox 10.
