Missing 6-year-old found over 1,000 miles away from home — on Maine island, cops say
A missing 6-year-old is safe after she was found more than 1,000 away from her home — on an island off Maine, police say.
The child had been missing from Ames, Iowa, since Oct. 14, when her mother took her out of state in violation of a court order, according to the Ames Police Department.
“I sit in my daughter’s room a lot and I talk to her. I pray a lot,” the girl’s father told KCCI in January.
On Feb. 14, the girl was found on Peaks Island off the coast of Portland, Maine, police said in a Feb. 15 news release.
The search for her also involved the FBI, the Story County Sheriff’s Office in Iowa, Maine State Police and the Portland Police Department.
Now, police have arrested the child’s mother, 41, who is from Ames, according to authorities.
McClatchy News is not identifying the mother to protect the identity of the child.
Information regarding her legal representation wasn’t immediately available.
The mother is charged with violation of custodial order, a “serious” misdemeanor, police said.
The girl’s father told KCCI that he went through a custody battle with the mother, according to court documents.
Anyone who may have relevant information related to the child’s disappearance can call the Ames Police Department at (515) 239-5133 or an anonymous tip line (515) 239-5533.
Ames is about 35 miles north of Des Moines.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 11:29 AM with the headline "Missing 6-year-old found over 1,000 miles away from home — on Maine island, cops say."
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