An urgent AMBER Alert has been issued for 2-year-old Christopher Cooper, who authorities say has been abducted. The alert, distributed by the Louisiana State Police on behalf of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, was announced following the child's disappearance, last seen yesterday, around 9:45 p.m. According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office's social media post, Cooper was traveling southbound on Interstate 55 near Kentwood in a white 2011 GMC Yukon. The report was received by LSP, who opted to quickly issue the AMBER Alert at 10:45 p.m. that night.
Details provided by the Sheriff's office describe Christopher Cooper as a light-skinned black male with brown eyes and short black hair, standing 3’2” tall and weighing approximately 40-50 pounds. He was last seen wearing a red shirt, black shorts, and blue Crocs shoes. The suspect, James Mercier, is identified as a white male, 5’9” tall, with brown eyes and brown hair, weighing approximately 160 pounds. Mercier was last seen in black pants with no shirt, though carrying a white or gray shirt. The vehicle associated with them is a white 2011 GMC Yukon with the Mississippi license plate PJT070.
Persistent efforts are being made to locate the child as the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office and state police continue their search. The Sheriff's Office has urgently requested that anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Mercier and Cooper should to immediately contact them at (985)345-6150 or to dial 911. The Facebook post from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office contains the information and has circulated widely on social media in efforts to aid in the safe return of the young boy.
The Sheriff's Office maintains that all questions regarding the developing situation should be directed to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office and not to state police or the media.
