Kent and Des Moines police said residents near the Kent Sounder Station who called 911 helped lead to the arrest of a homeless woman for investigation of kidnapping a 2-year-old girl.
At about 2:55 p.m. Saturday, April 30 officers responded to a report of a woman doing drugs near a young child with her near the Sounder commuter train station, 301 Railroad Ave. N., according to Kent Police.
“There were several callers that reported the woman was on foot with a child and was reported to have attempted to get into passerby’s cars,” according to Kent Police. “Responding units located the woman, and the child, a 2-year-old female who was still in her custody at a bus stop just west of Fourth Avenue North on West James Street (less than a mile from the Sounder Station).”
Through investigation, Kent officers learned that Des Moines Police had responded to a report of a missing child in the area of the 1100 block of South 216th Street in Des Moines. The father of the 2-year-old girl reported he woke to discover his daughter was missing and a female acquaintance, who had been at his residence the night prior, was also gone, according to Kent Police.
The father reported the girl missing at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Des Moines Police.
It was presumed at that time that the same female had left with the little girl, according to police. Des Moines Police put out a Be on the Lookout notice (BOLO) to all surrounding agencies as well as a recent photo of the child.
The woman initially said the child was hers, according to police. Kent officers verified the child matched the BOLO photo and took the female into custody on probable cause for investigation of kidnapping. Des Moines Police responded and took custody of the suspect. The little girl appeared unharmed but was transported to a local hospital as a precaution and returned to her father.
The woman is homeless, according to an email from Des Moines Police Sgt. Scott Oak. He said he was not sure of her age. The woman was booked April 30 into the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle.
“We want to thank the community members who called 911 and alerted us to what could have been a tragic incident,” according to a Kent Police statement.
Des Moines Police released the following statement.
“Police Chief Ken Thomas sends his personal thank you to the alert citizens who called 911 as well as the Metro Bus driver who refused to drive away until police arrived,” according to the statement. “We also appreciate the help from Kent Police officers who recognized this call may be related to our missing child case.”
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