DailyExpertNews
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[Breaking news update at 7:50 p.m. ET]
A five-month-old baby who was abducted along with his twin brother while in a car stolen Monday was found alive in Indianapolis on Thursday, Columbus police said in a statement.
“The five-month-old boy is in good health and is being transported to a hospital for a check-up,” police said in a tweet.
[Previous story, published at 7:31 p.m. ET]
The woman suspected of stealing a car carrying 5-month-old twins was taken into custody Thursday in Indianapolis, but one of the children was not found with her and remains missing, Columbus police said Thursday.
Suspect Nalah Jackson was arrested about 2 p.m. Thursday by officers from the Indianapolis Metro Police Department (IMPD) after officials received several tips that she was in the area, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said at a news conference.
Jackson was charged with two counts of kidnapping. The vehicle was not found.
Wilhelmina Barnett, the mother of Kason and Kyair Thomass, was picking up a restaurant order Monday night while working as a DoorDash driver and left a black 2010 Honda Accord outside a pizzeria on High Street in Columbus, DailyExpertNews previously reported.
When she came out, the car was gone. Kyair was later found abandoned near Dayton International Airport around 4:15 a.m. Tuesday.
“She is currently being questioned by the police. However, Kason Thomass was not with her at the time of her arrest,” Bryant said, adding that officers have been working “around the clock” since the twins went missing Monday.
“We won’t stop until we find Kason,” the chief said. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for Kason’s safe return, she added.
Since Jackson crossed state lines, she will face federal charges, Bryant said.
“It’s definitely going to be a federal investigation,” she said.
An arrest warrant for Jackson has been filed through Franklin County Court, according to an online document. An Amber Alert went out for the twins at 1:37 a.m. Tuesday, officials said.
Restaurant employees told police that a homeless woman left the restaurant after the twins’ mother entered the restaurant.
The individual was later caught on camera at a gas station where she asked an employee for money.
Officials do not believe there is any connection between the twins’ family and the suspect.
Columbus Police Department Deputy Chief Smith Weir said at Thursday’s news conference that officers have received “more than three dozen tips” from across the state since Wednesday.
Late Thursday morning, the department’s hotline received several calls from people in Indiana who believed they had seen Jackson in Indianapolis and officers “begged” the witnesses to call 911. IMPD informed Columbus police around 2 p.m. that they had apprehended a person they believe was Jackson and both departments worked together to identify her before taking her into custody, Weir said.
“If you have any information regarding this crime or the whereabouts of this baby, please contact us as soon as possible,” Weir said, adding that three Columbus Division of Police detectives are traveling to Indianapolis to coordinate with IMPD and the FBI to continue with the investigation.
Indiana will issue an Amber Alert asking for information that could help locate Kason and the missing vehicle, Weir said.
On Wednesday, family members and community leaders gathered to pray for the child’s safe return.
During the vigil, the twins’ grandmother, LaFonda Thomass, begged for Kason’s return.
“When you look at him and you see something, see a precious child longing for his mother,” she said. “We beg you, please, please, please do the right thing and just bring my baby home.”
First Assistant Police Chief LaShanna Potts said at the vigil: “We are determined to find baby Kason. We want Nalah to do the right thing. … We know she’s capable of doing it because she released one baby.
Barnett and other family members searched the entire Dayton area for Kason on Tuesday, including at the gas station, she told DailyExpertNews affiliate WSYX.
“I just miss my babies. I miss them being together and their smiles,” she told WSYX.
She said she is concerned about her son’s safety and whether he will be fed.
“Kason, he likes to eat and that’s why I’m so worried. I know he flips. He eats so fast. He eats in 3-5 minutes,” Barnett said.