What started as a routine welfare check in the Denver area turned into a multi-stop search that ended at a Charlotte Motel 6, with a missing child safely recovered and a 30-year-old woman in handcuffs, according to Lincoln County deputies.
Deputies say the woman left a Denver-area residence with three juveniles, including one child who was not her own. By the time officers arrived to check on the kids, all three were gone. The suspect was later arrested in Charlotte without incident, and the recovered child who was not her child was returned to a guardian, officials said.
How deputies tracked the group
Investigators say the case kicked off on March 13, when deputies went to the home for a welfare check and discovered the juveniles were missing. From there, the search turned into a digital and camera-driven trail.
Deputies reviewed surveillance footage and followed a cellphone ping to a Walmart in Denver. Using that clue, they pulled more camera data and other leads to track the group to a nearby QuikTrip and then onward toward Charlotte, according to Queen City News.
Arrest in Charlotte
Lincoln County deputies, working with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, say they eventually found the suspect and the juveniles at a Motel 6 in Charlotte. Officers took the woman into custody without incident.
“Because of deputies’ efforts a child was safely recovered and the suspect was quickly taken into custody,” Sheriff Bill Beam said, as reported by Queen City News.
Charges and custody status
The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Amber Marie White. Deputies say she was charged with kidnapping and taken before a magistrate, who ordered that she be held without bond.
According to investigators, one juvenile in the group was not White’s child, and that child was returned to a guardian. The two other children were released to their grandparents.
Deputies say video reviewed during the investigation showed the group getting into a vehicle believed to be a black Infiniti G35. The vehicle’s registered owner told authorities they had given White and the juveniles a ride to an address in Charlotte.
What the Flock camera system does
As part of the search, the sheriff’s office says it used its Flock camera system to get a possible match on the vehicle. Those camera networks record license plates and are designed to help law enforcement trace vehicle movements across multiple jurisdictions.
Flock Safety, which operates many of these systems, says the technology is meant to help speed up investigations, although it has also sparked privacy debates in some communities. Flock Safety provides background on how the system works.
Next steps
Deputies have not released any information about a possible motive or a court date in the case. The investigation is still active, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with additional information to contact their office.
Officials say the recovered child is safe and in the care of a guardian as the case moves forward.
