Amber Alert canceled: Missing 5-year-old found safe, mother arrested
The Brief
The missing 5-year-old boy was found safe after being abducted by his mother, Tia Smith, who does not have legal custody.
Smith allegedly injured a family member during the abduction, resulting in serious injuries and hospitalization for the victim.
Smith has been charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault, and was previously awaiting trial for a child abuse charge involving the same boy.
DECATUR, Ga. - The DeKalb County Police Department said Tia Smith, 23, who does not have legal custody of her son, took the child from his father's home around 4 p.m. after showing up uninvited. Police said Smith told the family she was taking the child for the weekend.
What they're saying
"She wasn't allowed to come and she was trespassing," said the child's grandmother, Alfreda Harris Wilson. "She came to see her son. My other son was home and she ran him over, hit him and ran him over trying to take him. What she did—take him. So in that process my son is laid up at Grady Hospital. Now that's a tragic situation, but they got her. She's in custody now, so we thank you."
What we know
According to the DeKalb County Police Department, this started shortly after 4:20 p.m. Thursday in the 3400 block of Columbia Crossing Drive.
Police said the 26-year-old man struck by the vehicle was seriously injured and remains in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital. He has undergone surgery and is expected to survive.
Investigators say the mother had gotten into a fight with the family of the boy's father, prompting her to take the child.
Authorities issued a Levi's Call, Georgia's Amber Alert System for missing and abducted children, after the abduction, and the child was later found unharmed at the apartment of a friend or family member of the mother, roughly six to eight miles from the grandmother's home.
Smith has been charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault. According to police, she was out on bond and awaiting trial for a previous child abuse charge involving the same boy. Investigators said Smith was caught on video hitting the child with a belt last year.
What's next
The child is now back with his father and grandmother. Family members say he is safe and happy to be home.
Further charges against Smith may be pending as the investigation continues.
The Source
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation provided the details and image for this article. This story has been updated since it was originally published.
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