A little girl, missing and presumed kidnapped, has been found safe in Kansas City’s Northland.
The discovery came this afternoon after a more than 15-hour search.
The search ranged across the metro region and beyond.
Gladstone Police say 5-year-old Lili Justine High vanished from her father’s home late yesterday and was thought to have been taken by a visitor who knew the child’s mother and father.
That visitor is described by police as homeless, as is the child’s mother.
The 38-year-old woman suspected of taking the girl was in police custody.
Police Captain Bill Willoughby said the girl was with a relative in Liberty and is fine after being brought to the Gladstone Public Safety Office. “Her mother is here and mother is cooperating with us. Our main concern is welfare of the child and getting her back into a comfortable environment. So the sooner we can get her back with family members, obviously the better it’s going to be for her.”
The disappearance of the child prompted an Amber Alert, canceled by mid-afternoon.
Detectives were sorting out details of what happened, who was involved and the sequence of events. Willoughby said the mother of the 5-year-old is not under arrest.