A convenience store security guard and employees of an Arizona moving company helped authorities recover a missing 3-year-old girl and arrest the suspect in her disappearance over the weekend.
On Feb. 22, Camelback Moving announced that QuikTrip security guard C. Edmonds spotted a woman and child matching the Amber Alert description and quickly alerted the nearby moving crew.
An Amber Alert identified 23-year-old Marina Noriega as the last person seen with the toddler.
According to an arrest affidavit, Kehlani’s parents had just met Noriega. Noriega told the family “that she was dropped off in Arizona from California and had nowhere to stay and no family to contact, as her boyfriend or father were in jail.”
“Based upon Marina's summary of her life and current circumstances, the victims allowed Marina to spend the night at their residence in Avondale, which they share with their three children, each under 3 years old, and their adult cousin,” police records state.
The child’s father later awoke to find his 3-year-old daughter and Noriega gone. An Amber Alert was issued once the parents alerted the police.
Noriega was booked into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Intake, Transfer, and Release facility for one count of custodial interference, a Class 3 felony, according to police records.
She told investigators that she believed Kehlani was her “long-lost child” and claimed the girl had been abducted from a hospital at birth.
Camelback Moving President Chad Olsen praised the employees’ actions.
“We are incredibly proud of our community heroes ... for their courage, quick thinking and teamwork,” Olsen said. “Their actions exemplify what it means to look out for our community and to take its safety seriously. This is a powerful reminder that the Amber Alert system works. We also want to express our sincere gratitude that Kehlani was safely returned to her family.”
The company said that it had recently partnered with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to launch human trafficking awareness training for its employees.