An Amber Alert has been discontinued for a 3-month-old boy who was taken Wednesday night by his non-custodial mother from a domestic violence shelter in the Kaufman County city of Kemp, law enforcement officials say.
According to Kemp Police, 23-year-old Abigail Margaret Williams and her son were located in North Carolina on Friday morning.
Police said Williams took the child at about 7 p.m. Wednesday from a shelter used by state organizations to house abused or recovering mothers and their children.
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Investigators said they were notified at about 9:23 a.m. Thursday about a possible abduction of a child and an Amber Alert was issued that afternoon.
While the mother was allowed to come and go from the shelter, the child was under the custody of Child Protective Services and was ordered by a Smith County court to stay at the facility. The two had been staying there since Sunday, police said.
The child was prescribed a medication that must be taken with formula, but both were left behind, police said.
“15 weeks old that’s on medication and that doesn’t have that medication, that could put that child at some serious risk for harm. So we want to make sure that child gets the medical care they need, gets some medication and so we want to get anybody with information to contact us," said police spokesperson Jerry Neufeld.
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At approximately 2 a.m. on Friday, Williams and her son were located at a bus station near Fayetteville, North Carolina, police said.
Police said investigators were able to track Williams's travel from when she left the shelter, first by traveling to Dallas then headed east to North Carolina, presumably by bus.
With assistance from the Fayetteville Police Department, Williams was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant for interfering with child custody regarding this incident.
According to police, she is being held in North Carolina until extradition can be made back to Texas.
Xyavier Moses Adam Calliste, who is the biological father of the Amber Alert victim, is currently in custody in the Cumberland County Jail in Fayetteville with a hold for the State of Texas on unspecified charges, according to jail officials.
Additional information regarding his arrest is expected to be released later today.
The child is safe and is currently being kept in North Carolina’s Children’s Protective Services until Texas CPS can make arrangements to bring the child back to Smith County, police said.
The Kemp Police Department, Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department, Kaufman County District Attorneys Office, Texas DPS Texas Rangers and the FBI assisted in locating the missing child.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change.
TEXAS STATEWIDE ALERT PROGRAMS
Eight kinds of alerts can be issued for missing or endangered people in Texas. Below are links to articles with more information about each type of alert.
- Active Shooter Alert
- AMBER Alert & Athena Alert
- Blue Alert
- Silver Alert
- CLEAR Alert
- Camo Alert (no longer operational)
- Endangered Missing Person Alert
- Power Outage Alert
