ST. CLAIR, Mo. – A frightening ordeal for a Missouri family Tuesday, after a car thief stole their van, with a 1-year-old baby inside. The manhunt continues for the suspect, but there is some relief for the family, as the baby boy was found a short time later, still in his car seat.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert Tuesday morning after a silver 2019 Dodge Caravan van was stolen from a construction site.
A notification was sent to mobile devices in the region. Members of the St. Clair Police Department and Franklin County Sheriff’s Department searched the area by air and ground.
However, the suspect was not in the car for long, as the alert was canceled approximately 15 minutes later, with the child found safe in the vehicle.
“To the suspect: you abandoned a 1-year-old child in a van, in the hot weather, in an unknown wooded area. Do the right thing and turn yourself in,” St. Clair Police Chief Mike Wirt said.
Authorities believe the suspect is a white man, approximately 30 years of age, and was last seen wearing a dark-hooded sweatshirt, a baseball cap, and khaki pants.
Anyone with information on this man’s identity or whereabouts is asked to contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department at 636-583-2567 or their local law enforcement agency.
