A search for a 5-month-old boy is entering a fourth day Thursday, with Columbus, Ohio, investigators continuing to plead with his suspected kidnapper to return the child.
The baby boy and his twin, Kason and Kyair Thomass, were inside a black 2010 Honda Accord Monday night while their mother was picking up a restaurant order as she worked as a DoorDash driver.
The mother, Wilhelmina Barnett, came out of the restaurant to find the car gone, along with her twins. Kyair was found abandoned near the Dayton International Airport around 4:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Kason remains missing as of early Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, suspect Nalah Jackson, 24, was charged with two felony counts of kidnapping. Jackson, who police believe took the Honda with the twins from outside the restaurant, also has not been found.
“Nalah Jackson, I plead to you, please return Kason Thomas. We thank you for returning Kyair. You’ve already shown us you can do the right thing. You can return him to any safe location,” Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said during a news conference Tuesday.
After the car was stolen, Jackson was seen on camera with the vehicle at a gas station in Huber Heights where she asked an employee for money, investigators said. Police have released surveillance images of Jackson at the gas station as they asked the public to call if they see her, the child, or the Honda.
Barnett and other family members searched for Kason throughout the Dayton area on Tuesday, including at the gas station, she told CNN affiliate WSYX.
“I just miss my babies. I miss them being together and their smile,” she told WSYX.
She said she’s worried about her son’s safety and if he’s being fed.
“Kason, he loves eating and that’s why I’m so so worried. I know he’s flipping out. He eats so fast. He eats in 3–5 minutes,” Barnett said.
Suspected Kidnapper Was Last Seen at Airport, Police Say
The vehicle has a torn Ohio registration sticker on the rear bumper and a white bumper sticker that says, “Westside City Toys.”
Authorities said the car is believed to have been in a crash previously and has damage and purple paint transfer on its left side.
The last confirmed sighting of Jackson was at the airport, Columbus Police Deputy Chief Smith Weir said. There have been no confirmed sightings of Kason so far.
Investigators got surveillance video from the airport, where Jackson was seen asking people to use their phone, Weir said. Police were able to contact some of those people, he added.
The vehicle Jackson is suspected of stealing was recently purchased and did not have a license plate and its VIN number wasn’t registered, which made it harder to track, Weir said.
“We don’t have any sightings and that’s what’s frustrating for us. This car has to be somewhere. This person has to be somewhere and she’s with a 5-month-old and so if people just see anything that looks out of the ordinary, we’re asking that you bring us the tips. We want to bring this baby home,” First Assistant Chief of Columbus Police LaShanna Potts said Wednesday.
The twins’ grandmother, LaFonda Thomass, begged for the return of Kason during a vigil Wednesday.
“If you look at him and you see anything, see a precious child who’s longing for his mother,” she said. “We beg you, please, please, please do the right thing and just bring my baby home.”
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