AMBER Alert issued for missing 9-month-old infant from Walker County

On Monday, July 10th at 7 p.m. The parish police department was notified of *** vehicle theft from the residence of 3 11 Crest Avenue. The information we received from ***, from *** family member was that the vehicle was stolen with his nine month old daughter inside the vehicle. The police department received multiple reports. The vehicle was seen leaving the area at *** high rate of speed. The police department along with multiple agencies at the local state and federal level responded to the scene in immediate area. Based on the information we received an amber alert was issued multiple searches throughout the city and county were conducted throughout the night at several locations. The residents where the vehicle was reported stolen from and the surrounding nearby area was searched several times. This area is very steep terrain and covered in thick zoo during daylight hours. 1/4 search of the area was conducted and officers on foot in the area observed what they believed to be *** vehicle approximately 100 yards off the roadway in *** deep ravine. The Alabama law enforcement agency's Aviation unit was utilized to confirm that it was *** vehicle in the ravine surrounded by the officers on foot were able to reach the vehicle and locate the child. Harlow Freeman inside the vehicle. Harlow was evaluated on the scene by parish fire and rescue and regional paramedical services. Before transport to children's hospital for evaluation as *** as *** safety precaution. I would like to thank all the agencies who assisted us from the local state and federal level. I would like to especially thank the Alabama law enforcement agency and the National Center for missing and exploited Children. Additionally, many citizens of our community were canvassing the area and searching until Harlow was found. I would like to thank the town of parish and the surrounding community for their support, prayers and food that was brought to the police department. This is still an active ongoing investigation and we will provide updates if necessary at this time. I will take *** few brief questions. Do you have still an active investigation? I think anything is possible at this point. Has anyone been brought into custody or we have questioned several people that were in the area but nobody is in custody. It must have been *** relief because if she had stayed down there much longer, it was *** huge relief. She was transported to the hospital because she had dehydrated, had probably been in that vehicle in the ravine. 10 to 12 hours, maybe, maybe longer. So there be *** charging charge. Still an active investigation. Anything is possible is there any reason to believe in the investigation so far that any illegal substances were involved in the situation that's still under investigation as well? It did it look like from your perspective that it had backed into that ravine or no, like backwards? And when people said they saw it leaving at *** high rate of speed, it was reversed or did they know? I don't believe they knew some of the reports that we received, the vehicle was seen leaving the area at *** high rate of speed. And do we know the current condition? The baby is in good condition just being evaluated for safety precautions? And it was it the marshals service employees or officers there who actually found it? Yes. Yes. Officers that were checking the area for 1/4 and fifth search located what they believed to be *** vehicle. You know, like I said, approximately 100 yards in the ravine. The Leah's Aviation Unit was able to confirm the location of the car and officers were able to get to the ravine and, and that's what they found it difficult to see just like it was, it was impossible to see. Uh and, and the area was searched several times throughout the night. Uh Once, once we got into the daylight hours was able to see better and with the help of the aviation unit, yes, the baby was in the back seat and *** car seat buckled in. Uh the windows were, were broken out of one side from *** previous incident. So she had some ventilation in there. Yes, there was some ventilation. That's just you guys were kind of going in with one assumption and it may turn out to be something totally different. It's just chilling that it might have been so close to everyone this whole time. Well, considering what happened, this was the best case scenario for us to find the child alive and well dehydrated, but is going to be 100% recovery. Is it possible that the vehicle was never stolen and could have possibly not been placed in the park and rolled into that area right there. Anything is possible at this time, every lead and every everything has been evaluated. Anything you can take from this, you know, as you move forward, you've learned how the all the agencies in the state of Alabama can respond to one scene. We had probably 100 officers on scene and en route within 2030 minutes of this, we were able to get the Amber alert out really quick. It's just amazing when all the agencies come together. What *** great job they do and everybody working together is just an awesome job and we really appreciate all the surrounding agencies and everybody that was involved. It took, it took every municipality in every city in Walker County and the entire and lots of the state agencies were made available to us. If there are no suspects in custody, is there believed to be any danger to people in the community? Not just, can you say why if *** vehicle is stolen with *** child in it? Uh, it, it wasn't, it was not random as the vehicle was left. You know what we have. Uh, it's just an act active investigation. So there's no, there's no danger to the community, but I would like to think that the citizens of the town of parish, uh they brought food were out riding all night long looking the fire department. Uh You know, people were all over helping us out and it, it's just great to see all the agencies working together and, um what we can do whenever, you know, we, we need to are saying this incident was possibly targeted the officers to go. Uh We have 333. So this is *** huge deal for us. But you know, we have surrounding agencies, Oakland Police Department, Caro Police Department right here next to us are always helping us out and we had ***, we had police department was, was with us. At the same time, Oakland was responding to the scene. The war county sheriff's department, everybody was responding and we had ***, every everybody was hearing about man made available and we really appreciate it. And for the questions mayor, do you mind just telling us? I mean, this, I know you guys have probably been up all night, right? So this has got to be such *** relief for you just gotta step up to the Microsoft right there. Just tell us what you must be doing. It's been *** long night. But like you said, just having the, uh, the best possible outcome and, uh, he mentioned agencies and everybody coming together and working together and it, uh, it's *** beautiful thing and that, I guess this is *** beautiful thing to me is about *** small community. Everybody came together. I don't know if there's, uh, *** inch of asphalt in this town in this jurisdiction that wasn't touched last night of people just riding and looking and riding and looking and not giving up. And that, that to me, special, special by *** small small town but, uh, *** county who comes together and then as well as the state. So, uh, we just, uh, just thankful, just thankful to that family that, that baby is in their arms and, uh, to see that little, uh, that big brother excitement in his face. I'll never, I'll never forget that. Can I ask you to clarify something if you don't mind? You said the family member reported the vehicle stolen with his nine month old inside. So the father reported the vehicle stolen. That's correct. And was that at his residence or can you say what he was doing at that location? We're not for sure why he was at the location. I mean, he is the father is from parish. So does he currently live in parish? You know. No, he currently lives in Jasper. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.